The processual sculpture _Pancreas_ transforms books into sugar (glucose) that feeds human brain cells. The books’ paper is shredded, soaked in water, and pressed into an artificial intestine (a fermenter) in which bacteria break the cellulose down into glucose. After filtering and purifying, the glucose is fed to the cells growing inside a glass tank (a brain in a vat). The feeding of the artificial brain follows a strict diet: the brain food consists exclusively of Hegel’s _Phenomenology of Spirit_.

_Pancreas_ is a pataphysical machine that uses biotechnologies in order to translate language and books, that is symbols and data, into matter and flesh. Glucose, as a universal fuel of life, which all cells, especially brain cells, feed on, becomes the artistic material for _Pancreas_ (Gr. _pánkreas_, _pán_ = all, _kréas_ = flesh).


Links: http://thomasfeuerstein.net/50_WORKS/75_LABORATORY/02_PANCREAS

Thomas Feuerstein (AT) was born in 1968. From 1987 to 1995 he studied art history and philosophy at the University of Innsbruck. From 1992 to 1994 he and Klaus Strickner co-edited the magazine _Medien.Kunst.Passagen_. In 1992 he founded the office for intermedia communication transfer and medien.kunst.tirol art association. Since 1997 he has been a lecturer and visiting professor at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Bern University of the Arts, the F+F School for Art and Media Design Zurich, the University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg - InterMedia Studies, the Mozarteum University Salzburg and the University of Innsbruck.