Mary Agnew speaks to working sculptor and assistant professor at the Academy of Visual Arts Chris Rothermel ahead of his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong.

How is preparation going for the show?
Well, the show is based around a mapping of a new visual language, which deals with the documentation and the exhibition of two concurrent research projects that I am doing. The projects are based on the observation of industrial settings and sculpture facilities and workshops. It is about me engaging as a researcher, practitioner and as an artist with those sights and gaining inspiration by being there and engaging in the processes.

How do you go from conception to completion?
To me the notion of the studio has expanded. The way in which I work or the environment in which I work has expanded outside the studio. In that respect, I find myself not just working within the studio but also travelling out to factories on the Mainland so that when I am back in my studio finishing and polishing the idea has already formed itself.

Are the exterior locations important to your creative process?
The whole notion of the visual field has expanded for me. I don’t generate my ideas within the studio – instead I use direct observation and documentation to find my ideas.

How did you come to be a sculptor?
I developed my appreciation of the nature of my materials based on my education and training. I did an apprenticeship in the States for about two years learning various sculptural processes. I developed an appreciation for the nature of the material and the way it is used and the materiality of it – the culture of the material.

How do you choose the materials?
When I choose a material, it not so much based on my idea but on the nature of the material itself. The material shapes the ideas. The end results of my ideas are meant to exhibit what I would call a “collective witnessing,” which is developing an understanding of the culture within the material. All of the work is based on that direct observation, moving around as a type of journeyman. I go and seek to learn different skills from different people and different sights. My work is the manifestation of two years of learning, viewing and engaging.

Have you been able to develop these personal ideas and ideals within Hong Kong?
Absolutely. I have been lucky enough to receive some grant funding to pursue and seek different influences, so I haven’t felt restricted in that respect. Also the academy of visual arts has given me a larger space to be able to grow.

Is Hong Kong a nurturing place for a sculptor?
It is a challenging environment to produce sculpture based on the logistical stuff, but the city itself, besides the usual issues of displaying public sculpture and funding, is a pretty great environment.

Collective Witness is showing at the Academy of Visual Arts Gallery until Monday March 22.