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The Body Parlor

Katrina Chamberlin

2009 00:14:00 United StatesEnglishColorStereo16:9HD video

Description

In The Body Parlor, both man and sheep as combined sacrificial bodies become subjects of biological investigation. As symbols of ritual sacrifice, they are bodies that give of themselves. In discovering new forms of health-care (regenerative medicine) and tissue engineering (such as stem cell research), the body becomes sacrificial material for the greater purpose of a social good. The performers employ the material objects, either as products of or as extensions of the body as a way of exploring giving from one's self in sacrifice.

Note: This title is intended by the artist to be viewed in High Definition. While DVD format is available to enable accessibility, VDB recommends presentation on Blu-ray or HD digital file.

About Katrina Chamberlin

Katrina Chamberlin is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work addresses the possibilities of re-enchantment. Informed by her experience as a child of Christian missionaries and human rights activists living in the Netherlands and Turkey, Chamberlin investigates complexities and power relationships derived from sacrifice and generosity. These themes will often appear in imaginary and utopist communities of her own creation. Chamberlin graduated from the University of Santa Barbara with a BFA in painting and received her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009. She currently resides and works in New York.