about disease. I’m interested in taking variants
of the same form to what I deem the edge, and
stopping just before it spreads again.
MG: The materials used in your art, such as muslin and beeswax, are chosen not only because of their
connection to medicine and biology but also because of
their ability to invoke the human senses. Can you explain in greater detail the importance of these specific
materials?
LF: Muslin and wax have both current and
historical connotations. Muslin is used in theater to make the patterns for costumes. It filters
liquid in cooking. In surgery, it is used to wrap
around aneurysms. We also see it in bandages
like slings and tourniquets. The most significant
medical association of wax is that paraffin has
been used to preserve biological samples.
The other strength of beeswax is sensory: its
smell. By manipulating the heating and cooling system in the exhibition space, alongside
well-considered exhibition lighting, a room
filled with hundreds of suspended elements will
“warm up” enough to release its natural scent.
Beeswax is perfume-like enough to be alluring
but not so sweet as to assault the senses.
The other senses come into play as well. The
heating and cooling system is an air circulator.
When considering the environments for my
work, I consider the movement of the work in
the air currents, which creates a subtle auditory
undertone to the piece.
The painted surface of each individual element is fairly smooth. Often, the