You will need
Kim Lim
Sphinx (1959)
Tate
Your students don’t need to know anything about an artwork or artist to start exploring it.
Use one of these quick group activities to build their confidence in sharing their first responses to the artwork. Discovering art can be new, exciting and sometimes confusing. There are no right or wrong ways to respond!
In pairs or as a group, take it in turns to imagine the artworks answering these questions and telling their story.
In pairs or as a group, use your body to respond to the artwork.
Sphinx 1959 is a wood and metal sculpture by the sculptor and printmaker Kim Lim (1936–1997). This work evokes an ancient Egyptian mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Working with materials inspired by natural forms while still a student, Lim began to salvage, carve and assemble off-cuts she found in wood yards. This allowed her to create art from building blocks which already had forms and histories, combining them into bold and playful configurations. With Sphinx, Lim scorched the surface of the wood so that different sections would have distinctive textures and reflect the light differently.
Lim was born in Singapore and travelled to the UK aged 17 to study art. Throughout her career, Lim drew inspiration from the architecture and artefacts of ancient civilisations that she encountered when travelling across Europe, East and South Asia and North Africa. She was particularly inspired by the experience of seeing sculptures and temples in the landscape and light they were intended and carved for.
Sphinx prompts us to explore form and natural materials through sculpture. In this activity, discover ways to make imaginative sculptures while caring for our local environments.
Adapt
You can bring natural material into the classroom to play with.
Use assistive tools, such as an extendable grabber or adapted gardening tools if you need to when collecting the materials.
Work in pairs, in small groups, and/or with a carer to collect the materials and build the sculptures.
Have conversations through sign or communication cards about natural materials and animals.
4. In your groups, make a sculpture with your found material in the shape of an animal (real or imagined).
What materials could you use as fur, scales or teeth?
5. Leave your animal in its new home for someone else to find.
6. Make drawings or take photographs of your sculptures to take back to your classroom and each tell the story of your mythical creature!
How might the weather change your sculptures over time?
7. At the end of your lesson, bring all of your drawings and photographs to the front of your classroom and look at them together. Find each other’s animal sculptures and celebrate the artwork you’ve just made!
What have you learned by making sculptures with found natural materials?
What do the sculptures and images you’ve made represent to you?
Extend
Invite the students to each write a story about the animal in their sculpture.
Where did it come from? What does it do every day? Who are its friends and loved ones? What sounds does it make?
Then take turns sharing your stories with your peers!
Now research the history of the outdoor space you went to if the activity was part of a school trip.
What was there before? How has it changed over time?
You could try to talk to someone who works there or look online for any records of the space. What do you imagine the space will look like in 100 years?
Making art is a powerful way to learn new skills, explore ideas and express ourselves creatively. Encourage your students to discover new materials, techniques and methods inspired by great artists at Tate.
2. Explore (10 minutes)
3. Make (30 minutes)
