Photographer Mariana Cook has unveiled her compelling portfolio "Factum Fetishes" at Arles 2025, showcasing an unusual perspective on contemporary art production. The project documents the worn tools and instruments used by craftsmen at Factum Arte, a Madrid-based art manufacturing company, highlighting the often-overlooked human element in modern artistic creation.

Cook's inspiration for the project came during a 2017 visit to Factum Arte's facility, where she was struck by the simple, weathered tools scattered throughout the workshop. "We rarely see traces of the human hand in contemporary art," Cook explained in her accompanying text. "During my visit to Factum Arte, I was drawn to the simple worn tools used by Factum's craftsmen scattered around the factory."

The photographer approached these utilitarian objects with the same artistic sensibility she brings to human portraiture. "Alive because of wear, I felt compelled to photograph these objects - usually overlooked out of habit - as I would photograph unique human subjects like portraits," she noted. This perspective transformed everyday workshop implements into compelling artistic subjects worthy of detailed documentation.

To accurately capture the three-dimensional quality of these tools as she had rendered them on film, Cook pushed Factum Arte to develop an innovative printing technique. The collaboration resulted in a groundbreaking combination of oil-based aquatint and gentle pigment spraying using piezoelectric technology with water-based materials. This technical innovation proved successful in reproducing the tactile quality and dimensional depth of the original photographs.

The "Factum Fetishes" portfolio has been produced in a limited edition of ten copies, with several already acquired by prestigious private and public collections. Cook expressed particular satisfaction that the work is now accessible to the public through major cultural institutions. The portfolios are currently held in the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Carnegie Museum of Art in the United States, ensuring broad international exposure for this unique artistic documentation.