saliva – Radical Atoms https://ars.electronica.art/radicalatoms/en Ars Electronica Festival 2016 Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:26:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6 Terminal Sulcus https://ars.electronica.art/radicalatoms/en/terminal-sulcus/ Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:19:23 +0000 https://ars.electronica.art/radicalatoms/?p=2189 Beatrice Haines
In this installation, over 700 casts of human tongues line the inside of a fridge, illustrating our dependence on domestic technology.]]>
Beatrice Haines

As a child I was horrified to discover that the succulent filling I enjoyed in my sandwiches was bovine tongue and not the ham I suspected. Eating meat seemed strange enough, but the sensation of tasting another animal’s tongue with your own felt bizarre. Years later this experience inspired Terminal Sulcus.

Over 700 casts of human tongues line the inside of a fridge, illustrating our dependence on domestic technology. Useful household appliances are often overlooked as a source of emotional value, despite our constant use of them. It is photographs or ornaments that we project importance onto, despite the electrical appliances’ ability to keep food fresh and free from bacteria. These objects are our guardian angels, yet usually end up at the local municipal tip.

My work centers on the human trace with a particular focus on forensics. Terminal Sulcus explores traces left behind as DNA in saliva. Its pink fleshiness is erotic and visceral, subverting the domestic environment.

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