[-empyre-] October topic: This Mess We're In

[Hege Tapio]

Dear Tarsh, Laura and Kelly
Looking much forward to this wonderfully assembled exhibition, and following this discussion is a great opportunity to warm up the topic while getting a closer introduction to the artworks.

I find it interesting that Shelley is mentioning «galvanism» as an influence for her creation of «Frankenstein» Luigi Galvani`s nephew, Giovanni Aldini must indeed have caused an impact while performing the public electro stimulation on the body of the recently executed murder George Forster in 1803. So the fascination and potential horror of science may indeed serve as an inspiration for great art.
The race towards mastering of technologies - to understand as well as manipulate/control life has brought us to tremendous achievements. We find ourselves in a time where science is not longer performed as a spectacle in public squares, but performed by closed specialized research facilities.
So discovering artists engaging themselves with contemporary science by raising issues of how it may implicate our lives makes me excited. 

However wonderful technology and scientific advancement is - I do find myself bit disturbed to how we seem to be disconnected from the intricate balance that makes up our biological habitat. A narrow-minded goal oriented quest for achievements seem to have numbed our humbleness to life.

While working on my HUMANFUEL project I had some profound discussions with my oldest daughter. After all, I had to go through the process of explaining her about my work and the making process. It was important to me as her role model that she understood why I wanted to go through the invasive process of extracting fat from my own body to make fuel. We also talked about how we never really question our use of other living material. After a long reflection in silence my daughter said: 
« we cannot really admit to ourselves what we are doing - because we would have to realize how horrible we are»

So having this in mind I am tempted to say that in our time, all though we have the technology at hand to create monstrosities, we ourselves has become monstrous.

Best greetings from the land of Vikings, black gold and Trolls

Hege


Hege Tapio
Managing director /Artist /Curator 

i/o/lab Senter for Framtidskunst
Postboks 308 sentrum / 4004 Stavanger / Norway
Mob# +47 97601087 
www.iolab.no