The Greek word Χυμός (chymos) refers to juice or sap and metaphorically to flavor. It is the root word of humor, which in medieval medicine were bodily fluids believed to be responsible for ones health. The four humors: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood, were each thought to have corresponding seasons, elements and human traits associated with them. In our project we revisit the concept of humors by putting our own bodily fluids on display as part of a sculpture. This modern look at humors reveals what our body?s fluids symbolize in the 21st century. Confronting the viewer with blood, urine, and semen - liquids we spend our lives hiding - conjures feelings of disgust yet also the awareness of how important these fluids are to life. These liquids are so emotionally charged that they speak to us through simple exhibition, requiring little artistic translation. Χυμός highlights the sacred and profane within all of us.
Materials: particle board, acrylic sheet, halogen lamp, metal rods, test tubes & rubber stoppers, blood, urine, semen
Building the pedestal: time-lapse video