Uruguay · Assemblage sculpture from found natural and reclaimed materials
Ensamblaje
Sculpture assembled from found and reclaimed materials gathered in Uruguay rather than carved or modeled. In one practice, aged wood, bent wire, salvaged wheels, bottle caps, scrap metal, used cloth and found hardware become wheeled vehicle forms, small figures, shadow-box mosaics and articulated mechanisms; in another, seashells, animal bone, driftwood and stone are layered into robed female figures and life-sized horses whose bodies and manes emerge from the gathered material. The documented makers work in El Pinar, Canelones (Taller Oreja, since about 1996) and between Rocha and Montevideo (Olga Olivera, working as Homo Ensambles); Taller Oreja describes its aim as 'crear un lenguaje mediante las piezas' (to create a language through the pieces).
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not Applicable — no UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription exists for this craft at time of writing
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