Book Synopsis

From Duchamp's readymade to a tamale street vendor--Montiel's artist's book investigates the regenerative potential of everyday objects

In her practice, Mexican architectural designer Rozana Montiel (born 1972) takes social, environmental and infrastructural action by creatively repurposing "things" already on hand. She operates on the premise that cities collect objects, subjects and situations that together articulate stories of everyday life. This artist's book explores ideas on how to work with the scale of the object as well as its resonance with the scale of the city to build artifacts, or "ART IF ACTS," out of recycled materials, discarded playstuff, low-cost elements and readymades.
Art (if) Act begins with an interview and a glossary of terms relevant to Montiel's project--such as "Resignify," "Serious-fun" and "Upcycle"--establishing a working lexicon through which she generates new perspectives. The book then transitions into an exploratory survey of repurposed objects from the past to the present, from the rarified sphere of avant-garde art to the terrain of commerce on the streets of Mexico City.