--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I moved into making sculpture, I…" description: "\"When I moved into making sculpture, I could handle steel the way it had been handled in the technological revolution. I could use it the way bridge bui..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/richard-serra-17058_art_when-i-moved-into-making-sculpture-i-cou_2898652.jpg" --- # When I moved into making sculpture, I could handle steel… ![“When I moved into making sculpture, I could handle steel the way it had been handled in the technological revolution. I could use it the way bridge builders used it; I could use it the way they used it in industry and building and not the way it had been used in art.” quote by Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/richard-serra-17058_art_when-i-moved-into-making-sculpture-i-cou_2898652.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/richard-serra-17058_art_when-i-moved-into-making-sculpture-i-cou_2898652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/richard-serra-17058_art_when-i-moved-into-making-sculpture-i-cou_2898652.jpg) > “When I moved into making sculpture, I could handle steel the way it had been handled in the technological revolution. I could use it the way bridge builders used it; I could use it the way they used it in industry and building and not the way it had been used in art.” [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sculpture can adopt industrial techniques, repurposing materials beyond traditional artistic uses. **In simple terms:** Artists can use industrial methods for sculpture. Key Takeaway Explore new materials and methods. Themes innovation materiality industrial art process Mood thoughtful experimental Type artistic technical When to use this quote - public installations - architectural collaborations - art workshops Key Concepts steelworking engineering concepts Questions to Reflect On - How does material choice affect viewer perception? - What challenges arise when merging art and industry? A Different Perspective Industrial methods may clash with aesthetic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Builder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/builder/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle/) [Handle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle-steel-4110878/) [Handled Technological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handled-technological-4110879/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Making Sculpture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-sculpture-3357139/) [Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Sculpture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculpture/) [Sculpture Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculpture-handle-4110880/) [Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steel/) [Technological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technological/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [There is a primacy of each individual object. And we'll see! That's the whole point of making sculpture, to present a question in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-weiner/there-is-a-primacy-of-each-individual-object-and-we-ll-see-that-s-the/) [Lawrence Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-weiner/) > [Promenade was totally driven by the context. The internal relationships of measurement and placement related to the central axis of the site. The placement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/promenade-was-totally-driven-by-the-context-the-internal/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [The viewer becomes aware of himself and of his movement through the plaza. As he moves, the sculpture changes. Contraction and expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/the-viewer-becomes-aware-of-himself-and-of-his-movement-through-the/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [And certainly the history of public sculpture has been disastrous but that doesn't mean it ought not to continue and the only way it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/and-certainly-the-history-of-public-sculpture-has-been-disastrous-but/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I consider space to be a material. The articulation of space has come to take precedence over other concerns. I attempt to use sculptural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/i-consider-space-to-be-a-material-the-articulation-of-space-has-come/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [It could be that people want to consume sculpture the way they consume paintings - through photographs... I'm interested in the experience of sculpture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/it-could-be-that-people-want-to-consume-sculpture-the-way-they/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [If you reduce sculpture to the flat plane of the photograph, you're passing on only a residue of your concerns... You're not only reducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/if-you-reduce-sculpture-to-the-flat-plane-of-the-photograph-you-re/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [If your educe sculpture to the flat plane of the temporal experience of the work. (...) the experience of the work is inseparable from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/if-your-educe-sculpture-to-the-flat-plane-of-the-temporal-experience/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I came to architecture from building. Because my father was a builder, everybody was - and is - a builder in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/i-came-to-architecture-from-building-because-my-father-was-a-builder/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [The sport of wrestling is a tremendous builder of the values and characteristics which are needed to succeed in any walk of life. Much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hastert/the-sport-of-wrestling-is-a-tremendous-builder-of-the-values-and/) [Dennis Hastert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hastert/) > [I'm kind of a builder of institutions. I think I've got some ability to look at what's out here, look at a playing field,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brock/i-m-kind-of-a-builder-of-institutions-i-think-i-ve-got-some-ability/) [David Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brock/) > [“You cannot permanently destroy what you didn't build because the builder can always choose to build again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khuliso-mamathoni/you-cannot-permanently-destroy-what-you-didn-t-build-because-the/) [Khuliso Mamathoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khuliso-mamathoni/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The clatter of a changing world is not pleasant, and those who have enjoyed the comforts and protection of the old order may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-clatter-of-a-changing-world-is-not-pleasant-and-those-who-have/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) ## More by Richard Serra > [If your educe sculpture to the flat plane of the temporal experience of the work. (...) the experience of the work is inseparable from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/if-your-educe-sculpture-to-the-flat-plane-of-the-temporal-experience/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I think this, I think basically I'm not interested in people following my work or making work like my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/i-think-this-i-think-basically-i-m-not-interested-in-people-following/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [If you reduce sculpture to the flat plane of the photograph, you're passing on only a residue of your concerns... You're not only reducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/if-you-reduce-sculpture-to-the-flat-plane-of-the-photograph-you-re/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [Your eye is a muscle, you have to keep it in shape and the more you draw, the more you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/your-eye-is-a-muscle-you-have-to-keep-it-in-shape-and-the-more-you/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [The thing about rigging is, you can learn it if you become a master rigger but there's no book on rigging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/the-thing-about-rigging-is-you-can-learn-it-if-you-become-a-master/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [It could be that people want to consume sculpture the way they consume paintings - through photographs... I'm interested in the experience of sculpture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/it-could-be-that-people-want-to-consume-sculpture-the-way-they/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [Work out of your work. Don't work out of anybody else's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/work-out-of-your-work-don-t-work-out-of-anybody-else-s-work/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [Time and movement became really crucial to how I deal with what I deal with, not only sight and boundary but how one walks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/time-and-movement-became-really-crucial-to-how-i-deal-with-what-i/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I consider space to be a material. The articulation of space has come to take precedence over other concerns. I attempt to use sculptural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/i-consider-space-to-be-a-material-the-articulation-of-space-has-come/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [Everything we choose in life for its lightness soon reveals its unbearable weight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/everything-we-choose-in-life-for-its-lightness-soon-reveals-its/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I think different people have different problems and different relations to the exhibition of their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/i-think-different-people-have-different-problems-and-different/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [Now when you have administrators deciding what sexuality is, and what's a taboo and what's not in terms of content, you got guys, like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/now-when-you-have-administrators-deciding-what-sexuality-is-and-what/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I think you always have to find where the boundary is in relation to the context in order to be able to kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/i-think-you-always-have-to-find-where-the-boundary-is-in-relation-to/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I was in analysis and I told my analyst I wanted to be the best sculptor in the world and he said, 'Richard, calm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/i-was-in-analysis-and-i-told-my-analyst-i-wanted-to-be-the-best/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [Basically, what you really want to do is try to engage the viewer's body relation to his thinking and walking and looking, without being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/basically-what-you-really-want-to-do-is-try-to-engage-the-viewer-s/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) [Explore all 38 Richard Serra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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