Epicerie - Vitrine [Black-White]

Studio Orta - 0568
Studio Orta - 0568
Studio Orta - 0568

Date: 2014
Ref: 0658
Materials: Steel structure, 28 cast aluminium polychrome, glass, 1 carafe, 8 OrtaWater bottles, 2 taps
Dimensions: 157 x 35 x 135cm
Exhibition history: 2014 Parc de la Villette, Paris, France
Courtesy: Lucy + Jorge Orta

Vessels and containers have long appeared in Orta’s sculptures and installations —clouds made from empty plastic drinking bottles, jars of jam produced from gleaned fruit, and glass bottles filled with international flags— have all served important symbolic roles in their work. But, these cast aluminum jars, jugs, bottles, bags, and cartons do not hold any material, nor are they marked with significant texts or images. Rather, they are stripped of all labels and markings, revealing an aesthetic beauty born of functional design. Yet it is this absence that asks the fundemental consumer question: what about freedom of choice, if our purchases are made under the influence of seductive advertising campaigns?