damián ortega: notes

"Sometimes, when there is a transition period between one project and another, a void appears—one that is not devoid of anxiety, a moment of uncertainty about what to do or where to go next. Over time, I have discovered that the best path of action in these cases is to wander, draw, and look through some books. Intuition and curiosity are what lead you to identify new interests, to discover what state of mind you are in. They suggest ideas that often do not materialize into tangible results, but simply point out the places where you take refuge, a sort of mirror where one is re!ected, where you can see yourself. These explorations rarely result in something concrete, but they de"ne a time that I value deeply because it is dedicated to my own search; it is a game that leaves behind a trace in the air, a scribble on a page, or a phrase underlined in a book. 

Here are three pieces that work as maquettes: highly cerebral and planned works that are, at the same time, playful studies for larger projects that I might make at some point. These works began as diagrams in my notebook and with the help of a team, we managed to construct them in space. The sketches were formal speculations, tools for analyzing the potential and possibilities of each shape. I would love to build them on a bigger scale, allowing them to interact even more intensely with space and architecture— inviting people to connect with the fragments, to !oat a little, to break into particles and see themselves as part of a larger whole. To recognize their individuality and how it integrates into a geometric collective, a volume that is almost virtual. I am interested in identifying the porosity and lightness of matter, in observing the empty spaces between particles, and in recognizing the electric connections that bind objects together—the tension and complicity between one element and another. I like the idea of a sculpture that does not conceal what lies behind it, but rather reveals its interior, showing us its volume—one that shapes and contours its surroundings, like a note drawn in space." — Damián Ortega