1. NCEA Level 3 - Visual Arts 2011
Examples of Candidate Work – Sculpture

2. Excellence

3. Excellence
This submission presents a carefully edited, well-crafted and expansive body of work. The candidate understands how different modes of sculptural practice can be employed to expand ideas logically and inventively. This candidate has also demonstrated an intuitive sensitivity to materials and used this sensitivity to clarify a purposeful aesthetic system that matches the idiosyncratic proposition.
The synthesis of a range of methods and techniques from established practice has enabled this candidate to use materials in a surprising and innovative manner. The potential for this subject matter to be mishandled is high and yet this candidate demonstrates a sensitivity of ideas, materials and modes of practice that enhance the sculptural outcomes.
Although there is a clear narrative to the body of work the ideas are explored discursively and allude to notions of perceptions of the female form and manipulation of the female form that are open for interpretation. This candidate has succeeded in synthesising a range of ideas and methods from recent and established practice to create an original and insightful body of work.

8. Excellence
This submission works simply and logically building upon a range and depth of sculptural ideas. The development of ideas is consistently analysed and re-evaluated through both formal and conceptual elements. This allows the candidate to realise lateral steps in the production of work that reach ambitious outcomes. The initial works are evaluated and developed to allow for a range of contemporary modes of sculptural practice. The candidate also has a strong understanding of how to translate ideas through appropriate shifts of thinking and making. The way in which the submission moves between cut out, photography and video as drawing tools shows a discursive approach to the development of ideas.
This candidate also demonstrates a discerning attitude to recognising the best moves forward in the making of sculpture. Because of this the candidate is able to build upon ideas through embracing risk taking that in conjunction with a clear proposition becomes a well-managed experimentation process.

13. Merit

14. Merit
This candidate has created an inventive and student directed submission. The intuitive use and combinations of materials drive a purposeful investigation of ideas and forms. The narratives explored through the combination of pop culture icons and emotive materials, demonstrates the candidates understanding of how objects and materials can be manipulated to create a range of sculptural possibilities.
This candidate utilises the translation of ideas through a range of processes, materials and techniques that clarify the sculptural options. Materiality is exploited to suggest performance or an animated video outcome. This confusion about how to extend these ideas into real sculptural outcomes demonstrates this candidate’s difficulty in evaluating and synthesising of a range of ideas and methods when making work.
This is a good example of how a candidate can explore ideas widely and intuitively without realising the potential for the development of ideas in works. The use of a greater range of research in established practice would have enabled this candidate to achieve the depth of investigation required for achievement with excellence.
In order for this candidate to achieve with excellence they would have also needed to employ a more critical approach to relating and evaluating ideas to enable the synthesis of a range of ideas and methods in the production of work.

19. Merit
This candidate has purposefully developed ideas through the confident use of materials and methods that clarify and regenerate options towards an expanding proposition. The development of ideas is logical and yet predictable. The submission uses assemblage and colour purposefully to articulate formal properties at both small scale as well as large installation. Once this resolution is found however the candidate works repeatedly so that other options for the development of the ideas and methods are missed. There is a range of established assemblage practice that would have helped this candidate synthesise a range of ideas within the central proposition.
In order to gain achievement with excellence this candidate would need to apply, in a diverse manner, research of recent and established practice from a range of attitudes to build upon and sustain their initial proposition. They would also need to employ a more critical analytical and evaluative approach to extend ideas in the production of work.

24. Achieved

25. Achieved
This submission uses a logical attitude to developing sculptural ideas in a range of materials in a formal sculptural study. Repetition and reflection of geometric forms are used as sculptural devices to work through a simple exploration of the development of forms. Intersecting planar surfaces are manipulated to reconfigure structures and voids playfully. Simple material properties are explored to develop ideas with a range of success. The development of ideas is simple and yet inconsistent. The candidate would benefit from establishing a clearer sculptural proposition to investigate.
Although the candidate is operating from implicit sculptural established practice, particular artist models that deal with formal geometric structures would have assisted this candidate in decisions about processes procedures materials and techniques.
In order for this candidate to achieve the standard with Merit they would have needed to demonstrate evidence of purposeful drawing as a thinking process to provide options in the generation, clarification, analysis and regeneration of ideas.
This candidate would have also benefited from investigating a wider range of established practice to inform a means of developing and evaluating sculptural ideas.

30. Achieved
This submission starts successfully with clear and logical sculptural outcomes. The use of traditional sculptural methods such as describing form through line and wrapping sets up strong formal language within the work. The candidate has investigated a simple yet logical system of shifting from linear wrapping to sheet wrapping where the use of line to describes and manipulates forms.
The candidate has employed a thematic study to drive the development of ideas in an elementary manner. Potential options are not recognised and the candidate then moves on to the next experiment.
The development of ideas is logical and yet predictable. The candidate would benefit from further exploration and research into relevant established practice and associated methods, materials and techniques.
In order for this candidate to achieve the standard with Merit they would have needed to use a systematic approach to evaluating ideas and methods as well as recognising successful properties within the materials being used to further ideas.