In Mexico the word hojalata describes a trade that works in the production of functional objects and utensils either tin-plated or galvanised, rolled and embossed bland metal sheets.
Vases, buckets, watering cans and all kinds of functional containers are made, cutting and shaping the thin material with a small amount of tooling and a great deal of savoir-faire.
The lightness of the manufacturing process and the great possibilities of functions the technique can cover may be two of the reasons why it is still common to find talleres de hojalata in the centre of Guadalajara, Jalisco.
In the studio, we started with mapping the different workshops specialised in hojalata as well as developing relations with the different makers to understand the economies that sustained the trade. We eventually started to work with a few workshops on the production of specific items we designed, considering the fabrication methods and processes. Objetos de Hojalata para el Hogar is a growing collection of functional objects made for daily use in the home that comes out of this investigation around a very valuable yet overlooked technique.
All the objects pictured have been manufactured by Arturo and Maria Vega in their workshop in the Plaza de la Bandera neighbourhood and by Alejo and Antonio Perez in their workshop in the San Andrés neighbourhood.
Research
