In Stella Splendens (Flower), this reflection is materialized by a sentinel in crystalline armor, made of riveted PVC. The work's floral form, both radial and symmetrical, conjures up images of the living and regeneration. The petals, far from being mere decorative elements, become armed excrescences, instruments of defense that combine the organic with the function of protection. This hybridization of the organic and the military is an implicit critique of the power relations linked to nature and technology: care is never devoid of tensions and internal contradictions, where the apparent gentleness of gesture masks a power of constraint. With this work, Floryan Varennes is giving concrete form to the concept of pharmakon - the Greek term for both poison and remedy - and is following in the footsteps of Bernard Stiegler. For Stiegler, all technology, including medical technology, has a pharmacological dimension: it can be a tool for building and elevating the world, but also for destroying it. The figure of Stella Splendens (Flower) embodies this ambiguity, where regeneration is achieved through violence, and the object of treatment becomes, paradoxically, a weapon. The work invites us to reflect on the duality inherent in our healthcare systems, and their profound implications for the management of the body, health and society.
Stella Splendens 1.1 (Flower)
Medical instruments, medical tubes, medical pvc, stainless steel fasteners, rivets, rings
In Stella Splendens (Flower), this reflection is materialized by a sentinel in crystalline armor, made of riveted PVC. The work's floral form, both radial and symmetrical, conjures up images of the living and regeneration. The petals, far from being mere decorative elements, become armed excrescences, instruments of defense that combine the organic with the function of protection. This hybridization of the organic and the military is an implicit critique of the power relations linked to nature and technology: care is never devoid of tensions and internal contradictions, where the apparent gentleness of gesture masks a power of constraint. With this work, Floryan Varennes is giving concrete form to the concept of pharmakon - the Greek term for both poison and remedy - and is following in the footsteps of Bernard Stiegler. For Stiegler, all technology, including medical technology, has a pharmacological dimension: it can be a tool for building and elevating the world, but also for destroying it. The figure of Stella Splendens (Flower) embodies this ambiguity, where regeneration is achieved through violence, and the object of treatment becomes, paradoxically, a weapon. The work invites us to reflect on the duality inherent in our healthcare systems, and their profound implications for the management of the body, health and society.
