RAMÓN RAVÉ
UNIT 2

Unit 2 deepened the philosophical and material explorations initiated in Unit 1, evolving from conceptual groundwork into tangible, sculptural form.

 

This phase was defined by a rigorous commitment to detailed modelling—a process that required an intense focus on form, anatomy, and precision.

 

I spent weeks sculpting a highly intricate human figure in plasticine, pushing my technical skills further than ever before, with full awareness that this level of detail would ultimately be surrendered to the organic nature of the material transformation.

 

This deliberate effort—to shape with exactitude a form that will inevitably deform—embodied the central tension of my practice: control versus release.

 

The modelling became a practice of presence, a meditative exercise in discipline and attention to the body, while simultaneously preparing myself to accept its disintegration once colonised by mycelium.

 

In this way, the plasticine figure became a metaphor for impermanence. It encapsulated the Stoic idea that we must do our best with what is within our power, even as we accept that the outcomes lie beyond our control.

 

This conscious detachment from the final result was not a resignation but a philosophical stance. It paralleled the natural processes of decay and transformation inherent to mycelium, and echoed the Taoist concept of wu wei—effortless action, acting in harmony with the flow rather than against it.

 

The deformation that occurs as the fungus grows is not a loss but a continuation, an evolution that invites the viewer to reflect on the futility of perfection and the beauty in surrender.

 

Unit 2 was thus not only about improving technical skill, but about deepening an ethic of co-creation, humility, and trust. In shaping the body, I shaped myself—learning to let go, again and again, so that something larger could emerge.