Initially a sculptor, Francesc Torres studied in Paris with the sculptor and mathematician Piotr Kowalski where he began to take an interest in form and its interaction with space. Between 1968 and 1969, he produced a series of sculpted cardboard objects painted in flat colours such as blue, orange, red or white. On a formal level, these are basic geometric shapes such as cubes and triangles that have been slightly deformed, that play with false perspectives, or have been pierced by other geometric shapes. These object-poems were conceived as prototypes for unlimited series that could be made available to everyone. Based on the technique used in the design of boxes for pharmaceutical products, the outline of the forms and assembly instructions are printed on cardboard sheets to be cut and assembled, as if they were children’s cut-outs. Taking his cue from Conceptual art, with these objects Torres rejects the idea of a unique artwork. All of his work from this period embraces irony and a minimalist approach. ‘A series of objectual works that combine formal research and engineering through the notion of prototype and the idea of fabrication and authorship. [...] In common with other artists of his generation, he searches for objectivity in the making of a work, or more accurately, a desire to escape subjectivity. [...] Torres, however, is interested in the work as action; thus, the work serves as a means to convey and forge contact with the viewer. A poem exists once it has been read, and the work of art once the viewer perceives it. In 1968, Torres created his cut-out sculptures for the viewer to make and assemble as if they were mechanical devices…’ (Bartomeu Marí, ‘Francesc Torres and the museum’, in Francesc Torres. Da capo [exh. cat.]. Barcelona: MACBA, 2008, p. 8)