Souvenirs: An Ode to all the Unborn and Unrealised Chicken Voices and Blood Flowers for Algernon

The Souvenirs series features two mixed media snow globe sculptures that explore themes of creative processes, consumption, and the often unseen victims of human activities. Each snow globe encapsulates preserved organisms and organic materials, acting as poignant reminders of the impact of human pursuit and creativity.

An Ode to all the Unborn and Unrealised Chicken Voices in my Head contains naturally deceased, one-day-old chickens displayed in their original death poses. This piece reflects on the latent potential within creative evolution and how unrealized ideas and acts, even those left incomplete, leave imprints that serve as foundations for future creation.

Blood Flowers for Algernon features carnations and magnolias, flowers typically associated with mourning and remembrance. These blooms were immersed in human and cow blood, which seeped into their petals, signifying the silent sacrifices behind scientific and cultural practices. The 70% ethanol used as a preservative, common in laboratories, has bleached the blood and organic pigments, symbolising the public sanitization of these processes.

Together, these works comment on the hidden use of human and animal life within laboratory settings and connect to broader patterns of Western consumption. They evoke the ethical considerations in scientific and everyday practices, drawing links to the work A Shine for Algernon, and highlight how acts of progress are intertwined with sacrifice and the overlooked narratives of life affected by human needs, desires and ambitions.

The work forms part of The Absence of Alice.

PROJECT DETAILS:

Svenja Kratz, A Shrine for Algernon, 2010. Mixed Media: Recycled Furniture, Polymer Clay, Plaster, Enamel, Faux Moss, Stainless Steel, Miniature Cows and Trees, Animal Bones.