A public maintenance and performative activation of Mara Kirchberg’s installation Lubricating a Hardening Muscle.
Lubricating a Hardening Muscle is a continuously evolving installation that examines the fragile dependence of the human body on technical care, creating a hybrid space between the mechanical and the organic. At its center floats a fatigued organic-looking shell. It is stitched from repurposed artificial gut stained with petrochemical residues and extended with mechanical lifting straps. During Service Hours the pulley system is activated and the organ is manually lowered into a water-oil-emulsion, where it is moistened and lubricated, softening the hardening tissue and restoring its flexibility. This gesture reveals the entanglements between the human body and petrochemical infrastructures, highlighting the weight they impose on life and the precarious interventions required to sustain it under damaged conditions.
Each activation lasts around 45 minutes, and visitors are welcome to come and go at any time.
30.05.2026, 5pm
13.06.2026, 5pm
