Blue Secretions

Last night I attended the opening of sk-interfaces, curator Jen Hauser’s exhibition at FACT in Liverpool. It worked well in FACT’s spaces and suited well the new director Mike Stubbs’ thematic programme Human Futures. The gallery downstairs showed the more literally biological skin-based artworks which are Hauser’s particular interest: Tissue Culture and Art Project’s Victimless Leather, made by the Australian research groupSymbioticA, Stelarc’s third ear project – familiar, but nicely presented, Orlanand Art Orienté Objet‘s skin coats, Jun Takita’s moss-covered skull (not the transgenic moss originally planned) and Julia Reodica’s designer hymen.  In the upstairs gallery, a more virtual, political take on skin was presented by Maurice Benayoun interactive installation World Skin – a photo safari into a landscape of war, Neal White’s mysterious recruitment installation for his upcoming Truth Serum experiment (commissioned by The Arts Catalyst), and Critical Art Ensemble’s look at the effect of incendiary weapons on human skin.

Highlight of the evening was the performance by Yann Marussich, Bleu Remix, a re-performance of his 2001 Bleu Provisoire (see the video here), who let blue liquids seep through his skin and from his orifices, interior to exterior, first trickling deep blue from his nose, then weeping from his eyes, tinging blue under his arms and finally gradually oozing through the pores of his body. It was extraordinary to witness. More photos (by Andy Miah) of the performance are here.