Image: Out of Sorts (Disassembled)

 

The chemical reaction that occurs during the use of polyurethane foam greatly increases the volume of the material. This reaction is similar to that of illnesses spreading throughout the body.

After observing the methods used by scientists at Derriford hospital’s pathology labs in Plymouth, I took inspiration from the processes that aid the diagnosis of illnesses. The extracted samples of tissue that are taken from the patient are preserved into polymer wax blocks. This allows thin cross sections of the sample to be cut to investigate the structures of the body and detect any damages using a microscope. With a constant flow of preserved samples being created, the personal stories and vulnerability linked to these items can be forgotten amongst the process.

By following the methods which are used within the process of diagnosis, the polyurethane material becomes the subject of investigation and probing. The structure of the foam is exposed for analysis, similar to that of scientists looking at structure of the body to detect illness. With this also questioning at what point does the body become consumed by the illness, comparative to the materials within the sculpture becoming consumed by the polyurethane foam.

Repetition occurs throughout the works relating to the spreading and contamination of an illness as well as the thorough testing carried out in the laboratory. The works also appear to be in a structured order, however there are moments of unpredictability that don’t always follow the pattern, just how illnesses can be cause by a component within the body being out of place or out of sync.