HAEM – UNFOLDING PATHS OF THE PLACENTA
2018
HD–video 31:53min
Developed in collaboration with Dr. Rodrigo Leite de Oliveira of The Netherlands Cancer lnstitute. Commissioned by Bio Art & Design Awards 2016 with the support of ZonMw, the Arts Council Norway and the City of Bergen.
The film project was made in cooperation with Clara J:son Borg (editor, camera, sound), Signe Tørå Karsrud (camera), Laurent Fluttert (grader), Sergio Cuervo Gonzalez (sound) and Marcello Sodano (sound design, mix, music). Special thanks to Lievnath Faber, Sara Mainardi, Thijs Van der Manakker, Etelka Moll and Anna Sand.
'Haem – Unfolding Paths of the Placenta' documents the behind scenes of the Bio Art & Design Awards winning project Haem. From the formulation of the concept to the practical execution, the film is set as a laboratory protocol intertwined with testimonies of people who give voice and body to the life-supportive organ behind the work.
In 'Haem', artist Cecilia Jonsson and scientist Rodrigo Leite de Oliveira assembled a compass needle made of metallic iron extracted from the blood contained in discarded, postpartum human placentas. This guidance object was presented in a placenta-inspired labyrinth and served as a metaphor for the explorative nature of humans.