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PISSING POINT 2022

Year
2022

Author
Laura Beloff

The work was created as a part of Cultural Capital Program in Vesprem region, Hungary. It was installed in Kisapati along a popular hiking route, among other artworks in the exhibition.

PISSING POINT (Beloff 2022)

The project is part of the author’s on-going investigation about encounters between biology and technology. The project follows the recent years’ scientific research and development on bio-batteries that produce energy with the help of micro-organisms. In this specific version human bodily fluid, urine, is used for power production. The amount of power produced by these 5 batteries is quite small; if you are lucky, you may observe a red LED lighting up in one of the batteries.

The image is from the installation from Kisapati, Hungary where the work was installed along a popular hiking route. If one wants to take part in this experiment and support the maintenance of the system: one can either collect and bring urine and pour it to the ‘funnel’, or alternatively piss directly into it. The ‘funnel’ system can be lowered for pissing/pouring liquid and lifted up again that gravity will lead urine to the ‘piss-storage’, and further dripping to the bio-batteries.

A concept of disgust is a part of this work. In this work disgust is related to the use of bodily fluid that is considered waste, as well as to its smell and other properties. Additionally, the artist hoped that the installation would attract many insects – and in this way pushes us to think about the borders we want to draw with nature; which kinds of things, non-humans and various phenomena are acceptable and which aspects of nature we would rather not see.

The use of bodily fluids is restricted by European Union regulations. The problem appears when someone wants to use others’ bodily fluids for specific purposes and benefit. In this art installation – you give your consent for the use when you donate your urine.