Fountain III : Black bile ( melancholia / hysteria ): Plaster, water-pumps, glass, feathers, sound, texts. 150m2.
The third and last fountain piece is portraying the state of melancholia / hysteria according to the ancient Greek theory that the different moods were connected to body fluids. Melancholia – which is connected to the black bile – is the only one of the four temperaments which is parted in two, represented as Hysteria, and also the only temperament traditionally connected to the female. An interesting fact, since Melancholia represents Science and Art and The Genius, areas that historically is almost rinsed for female participation / recognition. But also at the other hand the raving mad, represented as Hysteria. The old Greeks thought that Hysteria – which usually attacks women – was a result of the uterus galloping inside the female body, and was connected both to insanity and sexuality.
Fountain III : Black bile ( melancholia / hysteria ) is partly inspired by the print of Albrecht Dürer ”Melancholia I”, where the be winged female figure is flanked by an angle. In my version the angel(s) are replaced with Amour ( sexuality ) and Cupid ( love for the thought – philosophy ). The Melancholia figure is holding a heart in her hand, and if the viewer squeezes it, her brain, which is visually open behind a plastic membrane, is filled with blood. A constant flow of black water runs from her bile point and into a shell, associated with Renaissance paintings of Venus. Hysteria is lying in an equal shell, opening up herself like a pearl. Her womb is visually open behind bowed glass, and her uterus is mechanically spinning inside.
The figures are theatrically painted in black & white, both to restrain them in exactly the uncoloured view that history represent, but also to give them the freedom of a Diva that the black & white silent movies provided, before the Catholic church in USA in the thirties forbid Hollywood to produce films with female characters that were independed.