OrtaWater - Barcode

Studio Orta - 1300_a.jpg
Studio Orta - 1300_b.jpg

Date: 2005
Ref: 1300
Materials: Steel structure, copper tubes, taps, diverse objects, barcode scanner, computer
Dimensions: 100 x 240 x 200cm
Catalogued: p. 67, Lucy + Jorge Orta Food Water Life, Princeton Architecture Press, NY. ISBN 978-1-56898-991-4
Exhibition history: 2006 Gallery Continua Beijing, China; 2005 Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa Venezia, Italy
Courtesy: Lucy + Jorge Orta

Originally co-commissioned by Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa for the 51st Venice Biennale and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Rotterdam (2005-2006) the body of work OrtaWater focuses on the general scarcity of water and issues surrounding the privatization and corporate control effecting access to clean water. Starting from a rigorous analysis of this crucial resource through visual and textual research and collaborative workshops with engineers, Lucy + Jorge Orta sketch poetic artefacts, sculptures, large-scale installations and public artworks that evoke the cycle of gathering, purifying and distributing water.