I recently installed a site-specific installation titled “Stories retold” for the Artist in
Residence Program’s exhibit at the Broad
Institute of MIT and Harvard.
This installation combines images of magic
spells that were traced from a copy of the Edwin Smith papyrus—the first
medical textbook to include prognosis in the history of civilization. The
papyrus is from ancient Egypt, 1600 BC. The script was written in hieratic, an
ancient Egyptian form of writing. Most of the magic spells were written on the
verso side of the papyrus. The images in this piece are constructed from traced
magic spells that were used as treatments in ancient world.
The traced magic spells were made into
drawings first, and then laser cut on vellum paper. The laser cut drawings on
vellum paper were scanned and edited in Photoshop. The images on each decal
contain ancient magic spells for various diseases. The sizes of the circles
were based on three different sizes of petri dishes.
The shape on the floor was inspired by the
artistic rendering of the Congo River by Stephen Gire, a researcher who worked
in Congo during the Ebola outbreak. The river in his photograph takes
shape of Ebola virus in the forest suggesting the ancient origin of the virus.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of
words and beliefs in the past year, and thinking about connections to our
ancient roots.
In this site-specific installation, I’m examining our
ancient beliefs in medicine—what we have passed on for generations, what we
have lost, what we have forgotten, what we have learned, and what we still
believe.
"Stories retold"
Site-specific installation
196 decals
2016 - 2017
“Stories retold” and other works will be on
view in the lobby and mezzanine at the Broad Institute until the end of summer.
The lobby and mezzanine are accessible to the public during the business hours.
415 Main Street
Cambridge, MA
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8am – 7pm
