INSTALLATIONS

The IV lines used as the material for the piece come from eight-year-old Lilja Widenius. Lilja has a rare disease: her body cannot break down fats, which is why she cannot tolerate being without nutritional intake.  Part of the treatment for this condition is a nightly IV drip. At night, when Lilja is going to bed, her parents connect an IV line to a small port placed in her abdomen. This ensures that Lilja gets the nutrients she needs while she sleeps. In the morning, her parents clean the disposable plastic line and store it as material for artwork. This treatment will continue throughout Lilja’s growing years. With the treatment, Lilja is a healthy and happy girl. The disease and its treatment were discovered some twenty years ago, before which it invariably resulted in the child's death.

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We will expand the Lilja’s Garden work as more IV lines used by Lilja are collected.  Water flows through them like the water veins in plants that are also part of their communication system. As artists, we find the story of Lilja and her family to be a powerful metaphor for the well of strength that people, often unconsciously, draw from to maintain their mental well-being. The significance of this mental resilience is particularly highlighted in unforeseen and difficult situations that challenge people's habits and thoughts.