It was the bodies, the ones that united the sculptor Celina Saubidet and the designer Marina Molinelli Wells in the form of the artist duo known as Bone Cabinet. Daughters of doctors, anatomy was part of her daily experience, and it became the mother idea of that creative force that mobilized them to honor it and reproduce it in an almost playful way, in jewelry and sculptures. Little by little, the inspiration opened up to all of Nature, and the proportions tried other scales, until they appropriated a complete house. Today with “Memories of the Future” The house that belonged to Victoria Ocampo is involved —built in the 1920s with pieces based on the concepts of Earth, Body and House. Sculptures, immersive environments and tours to let yourself go and spy on the different spaces where one can find jewelry, everyday objects, small installations and even a served table. There will also be activities related to the spirit of Victoria Ocampo with music and literature read.
News: When did they become a duo?
Bone Cabinet: Starting in 2005 we started working together on what we initially called Bone Jewelry. The origin is related to a sample of sculptures by Celina, whose concept was to think of the bone structure itself as ornamentation. The show consisted of photographs of these naked women dressed only in bone pieces modeled by Celina on their bodies. I was dedicated to making contemporary jewelry, Celina called me to model the bones of a hand in metal. Based on this experience, we decided to make a series of rings and pendants inspired by the bones of the hand and the sternum. Eight years later, after a comprehensive presentation of Cabinet Bone at the Malba, we consolidated as a duo.
News: What does each one contribute? How do you create two?
Bone Cabinet: Our way of working is very fluid and organic. We have two workshops: one for jewelry and the other for sculpture. Each one has an assistant- Hugo Rodas (who loves to create his own tool) and Maria Victoria de la Peña- with whom there is a constant exchange of ideas, themes and inspirations that interest us and how to carry them out. We use many techniques from other disciplines: such as making dental silicone molds, using tin solder to make filigrees with nickel silver, pouring casting wax into plaster moulds, printing wax with rubber stamps, among others. In every sense, teamwork is very enriching for us.
News: From jewelry and small pieces to sculptures What does that change mean, especially when having to dominate a space in its entirety like the Casa de Victoria Ocampo?
Bone Cabinet: We always like to get out of our comfort zone in search of new horizons. In this exhibition we present household objects, and to develop them, we searched for new uses and materials, such as stainless steel, both for cutlery and for works of sculpture. We had a meeting with Leandro Vainberg from Volf, who made available to us a batch of the last pieces manufactured in Argentina in the 80s, which had been in a warehouse that we had intervened for more than fifty years. We also had the idea of working with materials discarded, such as aluminum cans, to make sculptures. We have the generous collaboration of many bartenders and bars- Vorterix, Mona Gallosi, Inés de los Santos and La Mala who helped us by keeping the cans without denting them. And then, we summon many hands to be able to process and shape more than 4,000 cans. All the construction of these works was a wonderful experience because we were able to do it through a Foundation, Kaleidos Action Children, and we worked with young mothers who had their first work experience. The house taken over is our way of working, since we are interested in the dialogue between the work and the space. The entire project was defined on this architecture and on the spirit of Victoria Ocampo since this house was the seedbed of the Argentine avant-garde and was where the magazine Sur was founded.
-Memories of the Future. From April 28 to May 28 from Thursday to Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Rufino de Elizalde 2831. Free admission.
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