"Tabernacle", by Teresa Holmberg and Jonathan Haner, consists of six, large,
glass, cubes which are covered on all sides with scientific or medical images.
The cubes are lit up from the inside and placed in strict formation.
The images covering the cubes were donated by various research
teams from around the world. "It meant a lot for us to have direct contact with the
actual researchers while doing this project" said Teresa. "We wanted to use the images both
symbolicly and factually, so it was important for us to understand what the images represented
and what context they fit into." The artists chose to arrange the images so that collectively
they depicted thoughts, stories, and patterns. One of the cubes tells how a woman was cured from
a malignant breast-tumor, and that several years later that same breast was able to produce milk for her
newborn baby.
A miracle? Sometimes the road between religion
and science can seem pretty short. If we look closely we can find that myths, prayer,
and research often share the same driving force. People have always tried to improve
their living standards. Whether by magical rite or stemcell research, the quest for a better life
is fueled by the same hope. The word Tabernacle comes from the old testament of the Bible.
It can mean both the human body (the body as the temple), and a mobile temple which
houses and protects holy objects and documents. In this tabernacle it is the inner human that stands in focus,
both aesthetically and spiritually. Through scientific images we can see human thoughts, emotions, and attributes. What is it to be human? In this installation, images of disease, aging, and death
are combined with creativity, sensitivety, and new possibilities. Lauranne, a research student, writes her name on
a strand of hair, while someone else creates a flower bouquette in nano-scale.
"Tabernacle" was exhibited at
Sveriges Glasmuseum.in Växjö
5/3-30/4 2006 and at Falsterbo
Art Hall 7/10-19/11 2006
Click on the images for more info.
