After ten years of hard work, the book Drawing in Space has come off the press. It is a comprehensive manual on figurative sculpture. It guides the sculptor step-by-step through the process of building a figure in clay. Self-critique sections at the end of each chapter help sculptors evaluate their work and identify areas requiring attention. The book features a wealth of visual material showcasing sculptors from the tradition of The Florence Academy of Art (FAA). It concludes with a timeline documenting the creation of a sculpture by Robert Bodem, from armature to completion. It also includes a glossary and an appendix containing technical drawings.

Drawing in Space was written by Robert Bodem and Poppy Field. The book presents and illustrates a teaching method developed at the FAA—the academy where I both studied and taught before founding a similar sculpture program in Amsterdam: Figura, Dutch Academy of Figurative Sculpture. In recent years, Figura has been closely involved in the book's creation. One of our frequently returning guest teachers Hywel Pratley and I served as peer reviewers; Sergio Tomasa contributed as the illustrator for the anatomical and technical drawings; and Bart Boonen handled tasks such as the poster design.

The book's release, our collaboration with the authors, and our own tenth anniversary call for a celebration. We are marking the occasion with a sculpture symposium—a gift to the platform we have built over the years. Art historian Jaap Nijstad will give a lecture on innovations in the history of sculpture. We will talk about innovations and traditions in figurative sculpture from various perspectives, ranging from pointing machines to 3D scanning, and from inevitable developments to the desire for modernity. One of our guest sculptors presents "the journey from commission to statue." The first softcover edition of DIS will be presented, followed by a Q&A with the authors.