The idea is to create a precious little object which - once in your hands - transmits the same emotions as the envisioned architecture and puts oneself in a dark, sinister, disturbing but attractive athmosphere.
I wanted my device not only to transmit those emotions and thus my concept but to embody the two main elements and their connection: man as an emotional being and the affective environment.
There's nothing that stands more for human emotions than a heart, plus a concrete heart has the advantage of having an enormous affective and touching power. The other part - symbolizing the affective environment - will involve some metal and mechanical gear and will be specified after having finished the first step.
Due to acquisition problems concerning human hearts I had to resort to a pig heart. The next step was to find a method to preserve the heart in order to be able to touch it and to work on it later on. After an intense research I came across a procedure making use of a substance called siloxane. With the help of a some friendly but sober and unromantic people working at the faculty of chemistry I had to realize that siloxane was way out of my financial league and nearly impossible to get. After my first disillution I decided to take a risk and start the experiment using epoxy instead of siloxane. In about three days I will see if science triumphs over naive enthusiasm or if I can proceed with a succesfully preserved heart.
Experiment successful – after a treatment of two days in a freezer mounted vacuum chamber filled with acetone the heart seems to be completely dehydrated. In the process of plastination the heart was put in the same chamber – now filled with epoxy – for a period of another two days. Due this preservation the heart changed its appearence to an extent where the firm almost still pumping organ has mutated to shrivelled embodiment of evil. It is still uncertain whether the heart has succesfully been kept from decay or not for there was some pungent scent to be detected whenever the heart was handled.
Two days went by – the heart is fully cured. With time the dark colours became lighter and more vibrant. In certain light settings the hardened heart is reminiscent of amber – the idea is born to make use of and amplify this quality by thinning the cardiac wall in order to enhance its translucency. The following days are spent milling and getting hold of bulbs, electric motors and cog wheels.
After a last security layer of epoxy the mechanics have been installed. If attached to sets of batteries the inside of the heart comes to life: A bulb lights up and the small electric motor powers three cog wheels embodying the emergence of emotion when exposed to an affective environment. At the same time the heart – just by its appearence - still stands for all things dark.
