Robin Peck’s New Book Documents Travel and Sculpture

Professor Robin Peck, Fine Arts program, has published a new book.

A collection of essays, Journey to the Circumference of the Earth, is a sculptural travelogue ranging from the 1970s to present day. It examines the philosophy, history, and material technology of sculpture and follows Peck’s travels from New York City to Europe through Romania, France, England, and Iceland.

“My writing functioned in lieu of a sketchbook as a place to store ideas for my own sculpture,” Peck said.

 “The sculptural travelogue narrative method was derived from the circumambulatory experience of viewing three-dimensional sculpture —hence the book titled "Circumference" in contrast to Jules Verne’s classic Journey to the Centre of the Earth.”

Throughout the book, Peck tells his story with a companion known as “the sculptor”—a composite, yet very real character.

Journey to the Circumference of the Earth accompanied his latest solo sculpture exhibition at the Or Gallery in Vancouver—Robin Peck: Crania, June 16 to July 28, 2018—and is co-published by Publication Studio, Vancouver and CANADA, New York City. That same exhibition has now travelled to the Art Gallery of the University of Manitoba where it will open on September 13. Other exhibition venues in Alberta, Ontario and New York City will follow.

Unfortunately it was not possible to secure an exhibition venue in the Maritimes.

Professor Peck has been teaching visual arts at St. Thomas since 2005, and is a highly regarded sculptor and essayist. He has been writing on new sculpture since 1977 and his essays appear regularly in a variety of international art publications.

Earlier versions of several of these essays have previously appeared in: C Magazine, Parachute, Boo Magazine and Canadian Art and the book: Sculpture, A Journey to the Circumference of the Earth, Robin Peck. Broken Jaw Press, Fredericton, NB. 2004.