THE ARTIST IS PRESENT

action / installation / video / multiples

from the serie 'ATTEMPTS OF DISSOCIATION'

THE ARTIST IS PRESENT consists of four elements: an introducing action, an installation, a screening and selling a multiple, or rather a new product, called arclon-hl.

The central part which also gives the title to the whole work is the installation.  It consists of a tube circle (about 80-100 meters) laid all over the exhibition space and a pump for dialysis which pumps permanently the artists own blood through the tube system.

The action starts at least two months before the actual exhibition with several bloodlettings by the artist himself in regular transfusion bags for collecting a reservoir out of blood. This previous process is documented on video and is part of the installation (s. DVD documentation excerpt).

On the day of exhibition the final venesection, lead directly in the artificial circulation, opens the installation. This final venesection will be continued till the artist is loosing his consciousness. Subsequently, the reservoir will be opened to fill up the circulation volume. To provide the artists physical health he will carried out of the installation room and medicated by a doctor.

Left without person, now the installation room becomes to a mechanical room for the artificial veins drawn through the architecture, infiltrating the exhibition space. The liquefied body of the artist expands and becomes to the art piece itself.

The third part of the work is the launching and selling of the new product arclon-hl (composition of art/artist + clone/cloning).  A packet of arclon-hl contains a small probe of the artists blood, bottled in little ampules and is offered for 3, - €. Within the blood circulation there is filling unit integrated where the artificial vein is tapped (to be arranged by staff).
By purchase there will be signed a declaration of consent between the artist and the buyer. This declaration of consent comprises the permission to the buyer to use the artists’ genetic material, contained in the blood, as soon as there is a legal basis. With signing this declaration the buyer accepts responsibility to the carried DNA.