Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico
October – November 2008

Project produced with the great help of Nrmal
It was first presented during the Mutek Festival in Mexico City.

The Autotono is a mobile installation built in order to explore how people can interact with an artwork in a public space. My idea was to create a kind of puzzle with 3 designs mixed-up and observe how the people can change them trying to find the original designs (or not!). What I was interested in was not to see people completing the puzzle but to register all the intermediate compositions that were created without my control during the process. My idea with this experiment was essentially to observe and learn.

I was interested in observing the results of the Autotono in different situations, so we build it with wheels to be able to move it easily. We installed it, in busy streets, touristic squares, in parties, in a design fair, in a park, in a school…

The name “Autotono” states for automobile (“un auto” is “a car” in Spanish) and automatic (automaticly created compositions, without the intervention of the artist).

Thanks a lot to Ofimodul for letting us use their spare wood, their installation and for the great help of their workers. Pictures by Rafa, Lalo, Nrmal and Eltono.

Direct links to the picture galleries:

1 – Building pictures
2 – Mexico City pictures
3 – Monterrey pictures
4 – States pictures
5 – Simulation video

Building the Autotono:

The first day in Monterrey, Lucas told me "there is spare wood in a furniture factory that we can use".

and there was actually a looooooooot of wood!!!

So we started thinking about how to use it.

I thought about a moving installation. We needed it to fit in the pick-up so we could experiment with it in different places.

The idea of the "Autotono" was born!

Early in the morning the next day we went to the hardware store...

... bought everything we needed...

... and in the afternoon we went back to the factory, selected the wood and started cutting the pieces.

I drilled the 75 holes.

The next day I started painting the pieces on Maf's rooftop.

I painted all day and the pieces were ready at night.

The next day we went to the factory again and started working on the structure of the Autotono.

Lunch time, I tried to be quiet, workers use to have a little nap!

Drilling the lock system.

Assembling the wheels with an awesome air-powered driller!

Team work

Done!

And it fits in Lucas' pick-up!

I packed the painted puzzle pieces...

... and we sent the Autotono by fret to Mexico City.

We flew to Mexico City and the next day the Autotono arrived, parked in front of the hotel and got fined in 10 seconds!!!

We "found out" our way with the cops and unload the installation.

To move it easily we had to put all the pieces in place for the first time. We did it randomly. The Autotono was finally alive!

And moving!

The next step was to find a "rotulista".

He painted the name in a very Mexican way and the Autotono was finally ready.

Ramone Random - The Nrmal dog

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The Autotono in Mexico City, during the Mutek festival:

People everywhere!

...and it changed all night long...

During the night we installed the Autotono in one of the Mutek parties...

Ricos tamales!

His uncle took a cell picture of the result!

We move to a corner in front of the cathedral and that shy little boy who was watching at us (7 pictures ago) followed us and finally started playing!

The Autotono was changing all the time, it was hard to get pictures of the different states.

On Saturday we set the Autotono in Motolinia Street, a busy pedestrian street in the historic center of Mexico City.

On Sunday we went to the Zocalo (one of the biggest public square in the world).

And just before we stored the Autotono for the night some guys started playing.

We went back to the Mutek headquarters.

We helped them, just a little bit, so they could complete the red and white puzzle. Then they left with a very educated "gracias".

And some kids started playing very hard with the installation. They played more than an hour! Her mother was so happy and enjoying some peaceful time.

We went right to the opposite corner on the same street.

And we left the scene while people was applauding at us!!!

So many people were looking so we decided to finish the brown and orange design by ourselves.

But the police came and they told us that we couldn't stay here...

We stopped on a busy corner, and a kid started to mix everything looking for the brown and orange design. His mother was great help!

We decided to make one of the designs and moved to another spot.

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The Autotono in Monterrey:

When the Autotono came back to Monterrey, we installed it in the Monterrey Design Week.

Then we installed it in the Parque Fundidora.

At the end of the three days Design fair, we put it back in the pick-up...

...and built it up again in the Cedim, a private art and design school.

The closing party of the Monterrey Design Week was happening that night in the Cedim school.

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The different states the Autotono passed through:

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Simulation video:

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Check that small interview from the Design Week Monterrey (in Spanish).