The Coarse Fabric of Being Human | Raqs Media Collective

The coarse fabric of being human

22 hand tufted carpets; wool and viscose 61cm x 91cm (2ft x 3ft); 2021

This work is a rendition of an imagined human molecule as an arrangement of hand tufted carpets, with each piece of fabric constituting each element in the hypothetical molecule. These would be the number of atoms of each element if the human molecule were a reality.

Co (Cobalt, 1 atom) Mo (Molybdenum, 3 atoms) Se (Selenium, 4 atoms) Cr (Chromium, 7 atoms) F (Fluorine, 13 atoms) Mn (Manganese, 13 atoms) I (Iodine, 14 atoms) Cu (Copper, 76 atoms) Zn (Zinc, 2,110 atoms) Fe (Iron, 2,680 atoms) Si (Silicon, 38,600 atoms) Mg (Magnesium, 40,000 atoms) Cl (Chlorine, 127,000 atoms) K (Potassium, 177,000 atoms) Na (Sodium 183,000 atoms) S (Sulfur, 206,000 atoms) P (Phosphorus, 1,020,000 atoms) Ca (Calcium, 1,500,000 atoms) N (Nitrogen, 6,430,000 atoms) C (Carbon, 85,700,000 atoms) O (Oxygen, 132,000,000 atoms) H (Hydrogen, 375,000,000 atoms).

It is an invitation to gather, be with each other, to sit, lie, sleep, rest and think about what constitutes us, as molecular collectives, and as species. ** The work draws from a speculative construction known the Sterner-Elser Molecular Formula for a Human Being, that renders the human as a ‘molecule’. It distills the chemical constituents of the human body into a single molecule. This imaginary molecule is composed of the twenty-two elements that make up all our flesh and bone, all our blood, sweat and tears, all our spirit, and almost all our shine.

Hydrogen

Sodium

Magnesium

Potessium

Calcium

Chromium

Molybdenum

Manganese

Iron

Cobalt

Copper

Zinc

Carbon

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Fluorine

Silicon

Phosphorus

Sulfur

Chlorine

Selenium

Iodine

Zinc

Iodine

Potessium

Chlorine

Oxygen

Fluorine