For Alice: Skins and Bones to Hold our Living Nonsense Together reflects on the uncanny nature of the Saos-2 cell line, emphasising the paradox where, despite the absence of Alice, the original donor in 1973, her cells continue to thrive as independent, living organisms. The work’s title is derived from an excerpt from John Ruskin’s writings, which is displayed centrally within the installation. The selected passage, “…skins and bones to hold our living nonsense together….swallows with owls and milkwarts with violets, the classification is always given as tentative…,” speaks to the overwhelming complexity of Alice’s cells and the human body—a composition of countless interconnected cells and organisms that defies simple logic.

The work underscores the notion that our attempts to classify and rationalise the living world are inherently arbitrary, highlighting that everything exists within a web of interconnection. This perspective invites viewers to confront the enigmatic and profound reality that life, even in its most fragmented state, resists simplistic categorization. Through this lens, For Alice navigates the tension between order and chaos, evoking the fragility of human understanding in the face of the intricate, interconnected processes that sustain life.

The work forms part of The Absence of Alice.