© 2015

 
 
 

Honey

glass, steel, ultrasound sensors, electronics, radio, honey, human brain
54" x 30"c.
1999

A human brain rests in honey, encased in a giant glass transistor. Embedded in the glass and steel structure, a radio scans local stations, pausing for a few seconds when it finds a clear signal. Barely audible at a distance, as the brain is barely visible in its bath of honey, sensors cause the radio to grow uncomfortably loud as one approaches for a clearer view.

This work has two origins: One day, a friend showed up at my door with a human brain in a plastic bucket, discarded by a scientific illustrator. I lived with it for years. Unhappy with its formaldehyde bath, I kept it in white wine. Then I learned that honey could be used as a preservative. The image of a brain in a sugary bath evoked the seduction of other minds. There's a push-pull, repulsion, attraction... One is drawn in, at a price.