Studio Orta

Building on the Refuge Wear series (1992-1998), Lucy Orta developed Body Architecture as communal modular habitats that shift focus from the microcosm of the individual to the macrocosm of the community. These structures embody the principle of solidarity so central to Orta’s thinking and establish physical links between individuals, symbolizing the myriad ties that can be forged emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Reflecting on the significance of this work within the social context, French cultural theorist Paul Virilio suggests that Body Architecture constitutes a metaphoric remedy for the problems facing society, “The precarious nature of society is no longer that of the unemployed or the abandoned, but that of individuals socially alone. In the proximate vicinity our families are falling apart. One’s individual life depends on the warmth of the other. The warmth of one gives warmth to the other. The physical link weaves the social link.” (Virilio 1994)