‘Step’, made in spring 1974, is one of Scobie’s first large-scale, welded aluminium sculptures, made simultaneously with a related work, ‘Turn’, but preceded by a much larger work, ‘Iris’. While his work was indebted to Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt, being unyielding and abstract, these three works marked a move towards a more personal, almost figurative mode. ‘Step’ was partly inspired by Auguste Rodin’s ‘Walking Man’ from 1877-8, in the sense of a figure having a strong forward movement, yet being balanced on two scissor-like legs; ‘Step’ carries a related sense of movement and precarious balance. This idea is cemented in the title.