Why sculpt today

Published by Philippe BUIL on January 13, 2026

The studio is above all a place of long time, silence, and concentration

THE MEANING OF GESTURE AND TIME

In the studio, time is not measured in hours.

It is felt in the resistance of a material, in the repetition of a gesture, in the attention given to what slowly transforms.

Sculpting means accepting this particular temporality, far from immediacy and rapid production.

Creating a sculpture today is choosing the long time.

Before the form, there is the gesture: precise, repeated, attentive to the material

THE GESTURE BEFORE THE FORM

Before a sculpture becomes a finished work, there is first a gesture.

A precise gesture, repeated, sometimes questioned.

There is also a listening: that of the material, its limits, its possibilities. Steel or bronze never fully submit. They demand a constant dialogue.

This dialogue is at the heart of my work. It is not about forcing the material into a preconceived idea, but about letting a just, balanced form emerge, in harmony with what it allows.

Each material imposes its own rhythm, its limits, its possibilities.

TIME AS AN ALLY

A sculpture does not reveal itself immediately. It requires distance, pauses, sometimes silence.

Some works progress slowly, others require long periods of observation before a new gesture becomes necessary.

This time is never lost. It is an integral part of the creative process. It allows the form to assert itself, the intention to clarify, and the work to find its coherence.

In a world where everything seems to have to go fast, this choice of slowness is essential.

A sculpture gradually reveals itself, through stages and pauses.

A WORK, A PATH

Each sculpture tells a story that is not limited to its final appearance.

There are invisible steps, hesitations, adjustments. There are also meetings: those with workshop visitors, collectors, or commissioners who entrust a part of their personal project.

When a work is custom-made, this path becomes shared. It is enriched by exchanges, ideas, sometimes constraints, but always by a common will to bring forth a form that will lastingly fit into a place and a life.

The time to observe is an integral part of the creative work.

The time to observe is an integral part of the creative work.

EXTENDING THE WORKSHOP THROUGH WORDS

This blog was born from the desire to extend the workshop beyond its walls.

To show what is not always perceived in an exhibition or gallery: the process, the choices, the intimate relationship with the material and the gesture.

Through these texts, I wish to share an approach to sculpture based on patience, listening, and precision. To offer a space for reflection to those interested in art, whether they are collectors, curious amateurs, or simply sensitive to forms and materials.

A work finds its full presence when it dialogues with its environment.

A work finds its full presence when it dialogues with its environment.

AN INVITATION

The workshop remains a living place, open to exchanges and meetings.

Visits and demonstrations allow a more concrete entry into this work, to see works in progress, to understand their birth.

This blog is a first gateway.

A place to take the time to look, to read, and perhaps to imagine a future meeting around a sculpture.