Intervention in Deutsches Klingenmuseum Solingen
The history of surgery dates back to ancient times, when surgical procedures were mainly performed to treat injuries and wounds. Over the centuries, surgery has evolved into the high-tech science we know today thanks to many discoveries in the anatomy and physiology of the human body as well as anesthesia and antiseptics. Today, bodies are opened up in the operating theater every day with the help of surgical cutting tools. The predecessors of these tools are on display in the showcase. These blades have both a repulsive and a fascinating effect on us. The knives injure intact bodies, but at the same time they can also treat and cure illnesses.
This ambivalent relationship to the medical blade is to be thematized in the design of the showcase and at the same time made physically tangible. Latex wraps around parts of the display case like a second skin, breaking through the strict grid of the display case with its sculptural, organic form. The display case contains dissecting and surgical knives from the 17th century as well as utensils used for bloodletting. They are presented on organic forms that resemble the inside of a human being. The visualization in and on the display case creates a sensory connection between the blades and the visitor's own body.
The haptics and visuality as well as the vulnerability of the skin can also be experienced at the experiment station, which mirrors the showcase body. The station opposite the display case fits into the vitrine and floor grid of the permanent collection exhibition. Texts and images are used to supplement and illustrate the content of the dissecting and surgical knives. During the guided tours, visitors can cut into the artificial skin provided and then sew it up again.
The haptics and visuality as well as the vulnerability of the skin can also be experienced at the experiment station, which mirrors the showcase body. The station opposite the display case fits into the vitrine and floor grid of the permanent collection exhibition. Texts and images are used to supplement and illustrate the content of the dissecting and surgical knives. During the guided tours, visitors can cut into the artificial skin provided and then sew it up again.
