Lucy Orta

Lucy Orta's work examines the social bonds within communities and the relationships between individuals and their environments. In the early 1990s, Orta began a series of works called "Refuge Wear" that combined architecture, fashion and social activism. This series took the form of tent-like mobile structures that transform into items of clothing, sleeping bags and bivouacs. Orta envisioned these as emergency structures for nomadic populations, for the homeless and for crisis situations such as earthquake zones. Orta's work has since grown to incorporate interdisciplinary workshops, contemporary dance and other actions that explore notions of identity, shared space and networking. These projects include collaborations with such marginalized groups as the unemployed, the homeless and immigrants. Her recent series of works entitled "Modular Architecture" and "Nexus Architecture", continue this theme of objects which are more symbolic that practically useful. The "Nexus Architecture" series has taken many forms, including boiler suit-like garments which are worn by multiple participants. The suits are joined by "umbilical" structures connecting one person's stomach to another's back and represent the social links between people.