Glossary

Title

The title of each work is given in italics.

Sometimes Dibble changed the title of a work after its release; sometimes he used the same title multiple times for very different works. To avoid confusion, for these works the date is included as part of the title, but without italics.

When works in a series have the same title, the suffix ‘study’ is added.

When the title is the same for a small version of a large work, the suffix ‘model’ is added.

The historic usage of the numerals 1 or 2 following a work’s title is also applied in some cases.

Earlier or alternate titles are recorded in the additional notes section of the listing.

Where it appears no title was given, the work is labelled as ‘untitled’ with a description following in brackets.

Soft Geometric Titles

The Soft Geometrics have a distinct naming system, where the larger works share the number of their respective small models.

The titles of the Soft Geometric works were divided into three series based on the years they were made. The first, without the word “series” in the title, was devised in 2003. Series 2 was made in 2004 and series 3 in 2005.

The model sized pieces were numbered sequentially (for example from 2004: Soft Geometric series 2, model 1; Soft Geometric series 2, model 2 and so forth).

When a large work was based on the small model, it retained the title of the small work but without the word “model” and, sometimes, with a different date. So there exists a Soft Geometric model 8, 2003 and a large version of this form titled Soft Geometric 8, 2004. Only some of the models were scaled up, so not all numbers from the model series exist in large form.

Soft Geometrics produced much later, and with usually only one or two studies made in later years, do not use “series” in the title but instead have the year added onto the title.

Some of the Soft Geometrics were titled with alternate non-numerical titles and this is what is used in this catalogue in these situations. For example: Water’s Edge, 2006 and Water’s Edge model, 2005 were formally titled Soft Geometric series 2, study 26 and Soft Geometric series 2, model 26.

Editions

While a number of Dibble works are unique (single edition) works, many works were made as limited editions.

For some editions, not every work potentially in that edition was made, so there are unfulfilled editions.

By intent Dibble’s works within an edition were often different. This included not just subtle changes of form but also conscious, obvious alterations (eg; with the addition of a branch, or the repositioning of an arm or leg).

Within an edition, works might be different colours, and dimensions might vary.

Repeated Use of Forms

Much of Dibble’s approach was a piecemeal construction of components, often interchanging elements that appear elsewhere. Thus, a particular form can be seen repeated in multiple studies. For example: the same huia form can be seen in the work Parallel Worlds model 1, 2010 and in the study Huia and Kowhai, 2017, but used in different configurations.

Date

The date given in the catalogue is the year in which the first work in the edition was released. Sometimes subsequent works in the edition were made a considerable number of years later. For this reason, sometimes the date inscribed on a work might not coincide with the catalogue date.

Dimensions

Dimensions are given in millimetres, height before width before depth.

Where actual measurements are not known, an approximate dimension is noted.

For multi-part works the overall dimensions are given.

Inscriptions

Where known, the catalogue records the placement of the artist’s signature, the work’s date, and the edition number.

The inscription “A/p” positively identifies a work as the artist’s proof (first casting) within a proposed edition (but not every artist’s proof made by Dibble is inscribed A/p).

In a small number of cases a foundry poof was also made, when the artist wished to retain a work from the edition in the artist’s own collection for a time. These works are inscribed “F/p”.

Collections

For works in public collections, the catalogue records the most recently known name of the owner.

Exhibition histories

Exhibition histories are recorded.

Notes

The catalogue records various types of additional information.

For pivotal works, where possible, working drawings, process photographs and background history are included, along with essays and histories.

Images and descriptions of general ephemera (invitations, catalogues, source artefacts, etc.) may also be included.