By Birgitte Christens
COUNTRY: Denmark
DISEASE: Crohn’s Disease
FORMAT: Sculpture
ARTIST’S SUMMARY
The artwork illustrates the affected intestines of the patient through shower tubes which we associate with private/intimate bathing habits. The shower tubes carry water in the same way that our intestines carry food and liquids through the body. The tubes close up if they get calcified or form knots.
The metallic intestines have been fitted with ceramic objects showing the stenosis the patient suffers from. The ceramic has red and yellow shared to show the inflammation of the intestines. The ceramic pieces are placed on a hanger, representing the body. We clean our body on the outside, just like we clean our clothes, to appear nice and healthy. Patients with Crohn’s Disease are ill on the inside, and our eyes cannot see it. The hanger is therefore placed in a stand with a transparent plastic bag over it, just like in a dry-cleaning shop, enabling the spectator to see the disease.
The empty bags represent healthy bodies; they don’t feel their intestines and these are therefore shown to be invisible. Some of the ceramic objects carry imprints of elegant lingerie as a contrast to the symptoms of Crohn’s, which include uncontrollable bowel movements and foul [...] continue the story