NELL TENHAAF

Horror Autotoxicus is a video laserdisc installation about fatalism, blind choice and the search for discovery. Depending on where the visitor touches the light box, one of three short video sequences are activated, a metaphor for the consultation of a scientific oracle. While the monitor shows a three dimensional computer amination of a spiralling DNA helix, the voice over narration tells the story of the three fortune-tellers who were consulted about the destiny of Oedipus, the mythical king of Thebes who killed his father and married his mother. By using this myth, I am pointing to our deep desire to know the future, which led Oedipus to violence and tragedy. The title of the installation comes from immunologists at the turn of this century who, for the first time, spoke of the existence of autoimmunological illnesses. The discovery of autotoxicity goes hand in hand with the idea of an internal "other", unknown and threatening, who is part us but who does not necessarily act in our favour.

Nell Tenhaaf is an artist who works with electronic media, new technologies and design. During the last few years her research has been focused on the "hidden texts" of scientific representation and the relationship between the different kinds of body knowledge. Her work has been shown in Canada and Europe, especially "Legitimation" which was in five Canadian cities between 1989 and 1991; and "Other frontiers" which was shown in Glasgow, London and Paris between 1991 and 1992. In 1991 she co-organized the "Bioapparatus" workshop at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. She has published several articles and is an associate professor at the Fine Arts Department of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Nell Tenhaaf

"HORROR AUTOTOXICUS"