Anglia project: Artful Objects
Teaching
Contemporary Art
Artful Objects
Lesson duration is: 150 minItems in this lesson
Teaching
Contemporary Art
Artful Objects
How can artists use everyday objects to tell stories about themselves and the world around them?
ARTFUL OBJECTS
VIEW AND DISCUSS
Damián Ortega, Tortillas Construction Module, 1998. Corn tortillas, dimensions variable. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Guggenheim UBS MAP Purchase Fund 2014.62
What do you see?
What does it remind you of?
ART MATERIAL
This artwork is made out of corn tortillas. Imagine pulling one out of this pile, filling it with toppings, folding it up, and taking a bite.
What toppings would you fill it with?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The artist who made this sculpture is Damián Ortega, and he is from Mexico City. Of all the materials in the world, why do you think he decided to make this work out of corn tortillas?
Damián Ortega. Born 1967, Mexico City; lives and works in Mexico City
AN ESSENTIAL FOOD
Corn tortillas, or tortillas de maíz,
have been an essential food item for indigenous people in Mexico for thousands of years, and they are still a staple today.
For Ortega, it is important to highlight local knowledge and materials in his artwork.
What do you think would be the pros and cons of making art out of this material?
FUN FACT
Damián Ortega, Tortillas Construction Module, 1998. Installation view, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2014
Let’s look again. What do you notice about the way Ortega used the tortillas?
The artist said that whenever his sculpture is shown in a museum, the people who work there get to decide how to arrange and stack the tortillas.
This means that the artwork looks a little different each time it is displayed!
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What if you could make a sculpture out of a food item that is important to you and your family? What food item would you use as your art material? How would you use it?
LET’S GET READY
Our next artwork is called
TV Garden.
Close your eyes and imagine what this artwork may look like.
What images come into your mind?
Nam June Paik, TV Garden, 1974 (2000 version). Color video, with sound, 29 min., with minimum of 30 television sets, and live plants, dimensions variable. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 2001.6
VIEW AND DISCUSS
TV Garden was set up as an installation on a whole ramp of the Guggenheim. Imagine moving down this ramp and exploring the artwork. How would you move through the space? How might it feel?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Image Placeholder
Nam June Paik, an artist from Seoul, South Korea, made TV Garden when he was living and working in New York City in the 1970s. Paik sought to surprise people with his art and was one of the first to use TVs and other kinds of technology as art materials. People call him the “father of video art” because after him, lots of other people began using TVs and other video technologies in their works.
Nam June Paik (백남준). Born 1932, Seoul; died 2006, Miami
Why do you think Paik placed TV screens side by side with plants?
Nam June Paik, TV Garden, 1974 (2000 version)
READ AND DISCUSS
Paik once said, “Our life is half natural and half technological. Half-and-half is good.” What might he have meant by this?
Do you agree that “half-and-half is good”?*
Nam June Paik in his studio
REFLECT AND DISCUSS
When do you spend time with nature?
When do you spend time with technology?
What would you like to be able to spend more time with?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Our next artist, Leslie Hewitt, made a series of ten photographs called Riffs on Real Time. Each picture has three overlapping layers.
Leslie Hewitt. Born 1977, Saint Albans, New York; lives and works in New York
A CLOSER LOOK
Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (9 of 10), 2006–09. Chromogenic print, 76.2 x 61 cm. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Purchased with funds contributed by the Photography Committee 2010.61
This is a list of materials the artist used to make the series. Which materials you see here?
a black-and-white picture
an envelope
a paperclip
a book
a magazine
a drawing
a carpet
a wood floor
And here? What clues might the materials give us about the artist?
Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (6 of 10), 2006–09. Chromogenic print, 61 x 76.2 cm. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Purchased with funds contributed by the Photography Committee 2010.58
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Leslie Hewitt grew up in Queens, New York. She used to work at a library and often includes objects such as books and magazines in her art. She likes to combine pictures from the past with
ones from the present, and she frequently mixes personal photos and memories with public pictures from the news, pop culture, and Black history.
How might combining materials help us to see things anew?
Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (7 of 10), 2006–09. Chromogenic print, 76.2 x 61 cm. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Purchased with funds contributed by the Photography Committee 2010.59
Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (4 of 10), 2006–09. Chromogenic print, 76.2 x 61 cm. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
New York, Purchased with funds contributed by the Photography Committee 2010.56
She also experiments with overlapping colors, patterns, and textures.
Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (5 of 10), 2006–09. Chromogenic print, 61 x 76.2 cm. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Purchased with funds contributed by the Photography Committee 2010.57
Art-Making Activity
Look around your space.
What objects do you see that can tell a story about who you are, what you like to do, or what is important to you?
How can you layer those objects to create a photograph that tells us a little bit about your life—like a visual time capsule?
STEPS TO CREATE A VISUAL TIME CAPSULE
Personal objects
First, choose a small object that’s important to you.
Then, gather a larger, flat object that tells us a little more.
Next, choose a background with an interesting color, pattern, or texture that gives us a clue about your environment.
ARTIST’S EYE
Taking a picture from above
Once you have chosen your three layers, experiment with stacking and arranging your objects, then take a picture of your final composition.
Example #1
Example #2
Example #3
How do your objects feel in your hands?
What do your objects tell us about who you are and this moment in your life?
SHARE
REFLECT
What was surprising about using ordinary objects to make an artwork?
What was challenging?
Why do you think some artists choose to use ordinary objects (instead of more common art materials like paint, markers, or clay) to share their stories?
Copyright & Credits
Visit guggenheim.org/teachingmaterials for more teaching resources.
Photo Credits
pp. 3, 7: Kristopher McKay © The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (SRGF); p. 6: Fellowship of the Rich, Creative Commons;
p. 8: craigregular, Creative Commons; pp. 10, 12, 13: David Heald © SRGF; p. 11: Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy Stock Photo; p. 14 (left): Dredrk aka Mr Sky, Creative Commons; p. 15 (right): Sean MacEntee, Creative Commons; p. 15: © Scott Rudd; p. 18: US Embassy Canada, Creative Commons; pp. 22–25: Gabriela O’Leary
Educator: Gabriela O’Leary Design: Brette Richmond Editorial: Michael Ferut
Teaching Contemporary Art © 2020 The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. All rights reserved. Teaching Contemporary Art is supported by The Freeman Foundation. Images of the works included in this resource may be used for education purposes only and are not licensed for commercial applications of any kind.
Artwork by Nam June Paik © The Estate of Nam June Paik. All other artworks © the artists.
