Pulpo, Gabriel Orozco
Orozco 1962 (4) 001 copia
Gabriel Orozco, Pulpo, 1991. La Colección Jumex

Following Marcel Duchamp’s steps, the Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco photographs found objects and generates new lectures to that which surrounds us on a daily basis.

Similar to what happens when we look up and imagine shapes for clouds, Orozco photographed some tarnished tubes left under a washing sink and named this image Pulpo [Octopus] because of the shape’s resemblance with the animal. Can an everyday object turn into something else?

We propose the following activity:

You will need:
  • A cellphone, a tablet, or a portable camera
  • Or a paper and a pencil
  • Any space within your house
Steps:
Step One
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Select an object you find interesting within the space or room you’ve chosen, for example a stack of pans.
Step Two
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With your cellphone, tablet, or portable camera, take a photo of this object. If you wish, you may draw the object instead of photographing it.
Step Three
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Look at the image of your object and imagine: Is this like any other object, animal, or place?
Step Four
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Taking the last question in consideration, select a title for your image.
Step Five
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Share your photo or drawing with other people, and ask them what they can observe from the photo, and encourage them to propose a new title for the same image.

Analyze: What other names can we assign to a same image? Does something happen if we give an object different names?

We would love to see your photos and drawings! Share them with us by tagging @museojumex on Instagram or @Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo on Facebook