novoassemblage

Novoassemblage is a term used in contemporary art discourse to describe a practice of sculpture and installation that combines disparate artifacts, materials, and digital elements into a new, unified whole. The approach foregrounds juxtaposition, material remix, and the production of meaning through assembled heterogeneity rather than through a single, unified material.

Etymology: The word brings together novo (new) and assemblage, drawing on a long history of readymade and collage practices in 20th-century art. The term is used in some art writing and artist statements but has no universally adopted definition or codified movement.

Practice: Novoassemblage often employs found objects, industrial debris, natural materials, manufactured components, and digital or 3D-printed elements. Works are frequently site-responsive and modular, exploring how context shapes interpretation. The process might emphasize rapid prototyping, reconfiguration, and participatory viewing, with sustainability and material life cycles as common concerns.

Context and reception: As a label, novoassemblage is one of several contemporary descriptors that identify a post-assemblage sensibility—one that extends historic practices into contemporary media, networks, and ecological awareness. Critics may treat it as a descriptive term for a range of practices rather than a fixed movement, noting its fluid meanings and variable implementations.

See also: Assemblage, Readymade, Neo-assemblage, Junk sculpture, Contemporary art.