The underrated aesthetics of the gut

2020
Ceramics, hand-dyed silk, screen print on fabric, cotton wool

How can the wrinkled and bulging structures of the human intestine be transformed into an aesthetic surface that is not associated with shame and disgust? Beyond its pure function, the intestine is filled with strong, ambivalent feelings. Curiosity and fascination, disgust and shame are activated equally. Although everyone deals with him on a daily basis, he is pushed out of public and private perception.

In principle, the “economic situation” that the bowel issue has experienced in recent years does not change anything. If it is made visible, brought to the outside world, it automatically means a delicate borderline between curiosity, decency and transgression.

In this project, the morphology of the intestine is used as a direct template to investigate how the appearance of a tabooed and shameful surface can be transformed into a novel and aesthetically pleasing aesthetic. The shapes and colors of the inside of the body are explored and the knowledge gained on the microscopic and macroscopic level is transferred to various materials and techniques.

Image credits: Linda Kerstein