FORM Journal is pleased to announce the start of an ongoing publishing partnership with the University of Johannesburg Press (UJ Press), and to introduce our advisory committee, comprised of Farieda Nazier and Gordon Froud (University of Johannesburg), Nontobeko Ntombela (University of the Witwatersrand), and Avi Sooful (University of Pretoria).

Titled “Matter”, the second issue of FORM will be edited by Sven Christian and double-blind peer-reviewed, with a view towards academic accreditation. We invite proposals for papers in a variety of forms — from lengthly essays to poetry and prose — that explore the ins-and-outs of matter in sculptural practice, from more permanent substances like bronze, rock, and steel to the ecologically-orientated and ephemeral.

What are the implications of using particular materials? How do they resonate, cognitively and physically? What associations do materials accrue with time and use, and what scope is there for artists to change how they are received and appreciated?

Similarly, how do we understand the role of weathering and decay, exposure to the elements, or the subjection of materials like wood and clay to fire, water, or air – not just as a means to impose our will on them, but as collaborators in the making process? What kind of memories do materials hold? What is the relationship between the body — as matter — and the labour involved, or the way that materials implicate themselves on the body of the maker?

Deadline for submission of abstracts or excerpts (max 250 words): 20 July 2024

Notification of acceptance: 10 August 2024

Deadline for final contributions: 30 September 2024

Peer review process: 1 October – 1 November 2024

Publication: 25 November 2024

Cover image: Serge Alain Nitegeka, Lost and Found I, 2021. Cardboard, canvas and wood; 70 x 100 x 65 cm (sculpture); 37 x 118 x 44 cm (platform). Image courtesy of the artist and Stevenson, Johannesburg.