Studio Orta

"Cells are a part of the human body; they are at the origin of its being, its feelings, its emotions, and its sufferings. Thus, they speak the language of the body. There are also cells of habitation. The relationship between people and their habitat is formed in this metaphorical cell. Living and being become a single and unique life experience." Cristina Morozzi

The series Totipotent Architecture is grounded in the artists’ universal concerns of community and shelter. It expands on the notion of Body Architecture, moving away from the confines of the individual body, to the collective potential of architectural space. The creative process is driven by a fascination with cell biology and the process of differentiation, whereby the single embryo cell divides to form a great diversity of newly defined organisms. Through drawing, modeling and glass blowing, the artists visualize the development of the uni-cell as it expands to create new spaces of habitation, often drawing from the architectonic potential of existing buildings.