Marjetica Potrc in Frieze

Benjamin:

Frieze Issue 99 May 2006
page 136 - 141
'Form Follows Function'

An image of a bright pink and green dry toilet. If thats not something that will catch my attention while perusing a journal I don't know what will. Add to that an excitingly alliterative article name and wow, here comes a review.

Marjetica Potrc, in addition to having a name that defies pronounciation, was originally trained as an architect but now melds her original training with an art sensibility.

Her structures aim to not only point out a shortcoming in caused by globalism and capitalism, but to provide something to aid the problem. Potrc's project 'dry toilet' came from a six-month stay in Caracas, Venezuala as a solution for disposing of waste and creating fertiliser without requiring any water, of which there was little at hand.

In addition to third world interventions, she has also completed installations in cities such as Liverpool and creates images and text from objects that solve similar problems ingeniously that she admires. One of these, from a series titled 'Power Tools', is the 'hippo water roller' (shown), which allows transport of water from a well in South Africa.


I find Potrc's structures are interesting in that they walk a fine line between architecture, art and perhaps urban planning. I find these pieces interesting in that the structures she creates, while architecturally based, would not have come about without an artistic influence.

Pink and green toilet that helps grow a garden without water? Totally awesome.

Marjetica Potrc's Website : www.potrc.org
Image 1 : http://web.mit.edu/LVAC/www/exhibitions/images/Potrc.jpg
Image 2 : http://www.potrc.org/photos/drytoilet_web_DryToilet2.jpg
Image 3 : http://riesenmaschine.de/bilder/upload/hippo_water_roller.png