Common People — Juan Vértiz Márquez

Common People

Installation

Project Information

Project
Common People

Curated by
Hannes Zebedin

Location
Vienna, Austria

Year
2022

Type
Installation

Collaborators
Leonardo Guerra · Pia Aydt

Role
Artist

Description

Inspired by Pulp's song Common People and informed by Pierre Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital, Common People examined how class distinctions continue to shape everyday life, cultural institutions, and access to education. The project explored the subtle mechanisms through which social class is expressed, reproduced, and perceived within contemporary urban society.

As part of the research, observations were conducted in cafés across Vienna, using these everyday spaces as sites for investigating social behaviour, rituals, and forms of distinction. The resulting installation translated these observations into a spatial narrative that encouraged visitors to reflect on the often invisible structures influencing social interaction.

Positioned between artistic research and social observation, Common People proposes the city itself as a living archive of class relations, revealing how ordinary places can become spaces for critical reflection.

(Return to Projects)