LYCANTHROPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS I – Artistic Research on the Edge. Poetical Investigations on the Margins of Medicine and Mythology
(2019)
author(s): Barbara Macek
published in: RUUKKU - Studies in Artistic Research
In this exposition on the peripheries of medicine and art I will enrole the concept of my project "Lycanthropus erythematosus" and the applied strategies of artistic research.
The essence of the work is the proposal of a new thesis concerning the understanding of autoimmune diseases, especially of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE, lupus).
SLE is a rare autoimmune disease characterised by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body. Its cause and pathogenesis are still unknown.
The work aims at providing new knowledge in regard to these open questions. Its thesis is exposed in different formats resulting from different strategies of artistic research. It proposes to understand autoimmunity as the expression of transformative processes that cause various physical and mental effects in the afflicted organism. This ongoing metamorphosis is driven by a plan: it is about the emerging of a new being – the Lycanthropus erythematosus.
Ohni Ziül, kei Versager: Objects, Goals and Failure, a Swiss residency
(last edited: 2024)
author(s): Rose Magee
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
Ohni Ziül, kei Versager: Objects, Goals, and Failure explores the creative potential of failure and material agency through a four-month artist residency at Altes Spital, Solothurn, Switzerland. Initiated by the unexpected breaking of hand-blown glass objects during transit, the project reframes failure as a catalyst for empathy, interconnectedness, and transformation.
Set in a former hospital, the residency provided a fitting context for investigating the relationships between humans and objects. By engaging with glass and beeswax, materials that embody both fragility and resilience, I embraced material unpredictability, allowing forms and textures to emerge organically. Collaborative workshops further examined failure, imperfection, and materiality as carriers of memory and emotion, fostering empathy for both human and non-human entities.
Inspired by thinkers like Jane Bennett and Daniel Miller, the project challenges human-centered views of objecthood, recognizing the agency of materials and their capacity to mediate reflection and connection. Drawing on concepts like wabi-sabi and “thing-power,” the work celebrates the beauty of imperfection and the ambiguity that emerges when control is relinquished.
Recurring themes of encounter, empathy, and mediation underscore this practice, proposing that failure is not an endpoint but a means of discovery and growth. By embracing ambiguity and resisting the impulse to fully understand or master, the project advocates for a more interconnected and empathetic engagement with the world.