Stomach Box (nervous systems)
Elke Finkenauer
Reference
SAS0094_003
Year
2022
Dimensions (cm)
Height: 7
Length: 22.5
Depth: 21
Length: 22.5
Depth: 21
Materials
Wood, jesmonite, kitchen roll, paint, rubber, ink soaked off pages printed on an inkjet printer
Current Location
Glasgow Sculpture Studios
Suitable Locations for the Work
- Indoors
- On a plinth
- In a case
Background, history, commissioner of the work
Stomach box is one of a series of three organic, organ-shaped box-objects (stomach, liver, pancreas) with upholstered, painted and cast interiors, collectively titled 'Nervous Systems'. The boxes were fabricated through cycles of improvisation and experimentation from 2020-2022. They were completed with the support of the Glasgow Visual Art and Craft Maker Bursary, and documented by Isobel Lutz Smith.
Thematic/contextual information
The outside of ‘Stomach box’ is made of elm, from a tree damaged by dutch elm disease. The inner cavity of 'Stomach' was formed around supermarket receipts for all the food I ate over a 3 month period, during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. During this time I was thinking about the relationship between mind and gut, and reading about cognitive science. I'm interested in the idea of "gut feelings" as informed (albeit rapid, pre-conscious) decisions.