HAEM

CECILIA JONSSON

HOW FAR BACK DO YOU GO?

The physical basis of Haem is iron derived from an unexpected source – 69 human placentas. This organ possesses a complex labyrinth of blood vessels and provides the connection between mother and developing child. The iron in the needle is extracted from the labour of dozens of births, thousands of hours of fluid exchange, and the earliest meeting point between new and existing life, with blood conferring the vitality of maternal resource.

Haem is developed by Cecilia Jonsson in close collaboration with Dr. Rodrigo Leite de Oliveira of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Commissioned by Bio Art & Design Awards 2016 with the support of ZonMw (The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development). In cooperation with the department of gynaecology and obstetrics at OLVG West in Amsterdam and blacksmith Thijs Van der Manakker. The Haem installation is accompanied by a sound composition by Marcello Sodano and a video by Signe Tørå Karsrud and Sergio Cuervo Gonzalez, sound.