How do sculptors use found objects in assemblage sculpture?

In assemblage, sculptors create works by incorporating everyday, preformed items—often called ready-mades or found objects—into a unified composition. These components, which range from industrial parts like typewriters and boilers to natural objects and household furniture, are joined using techniques such as welding, bolting, screwing, riveting, or bonding with powerful adhesives.12

By placing these familiar items in a new context, artists imbue them with fresh aesthetic or symbolic meanings while often allowing the objects to retain their original identity. This practice allows for a wide range of expression, from the irrational, chance-based juxtapositions favored by Dada and Surrealist artists to the carefully organized, compartmentalized constructions of artists like Louise Nevelson or the intimate, enigmatic boxes of Joseph Cornell.134

Ultimately, the use of found objects allows sculptors to explore new fields of imagery and symbolism, offering a modern approach that is often considered particularly reflective of technological civilization.2