The Mouse Project

Between May 1999 and May 2000 I collaborated with researchers that were conducting experiments to determine the effects of UV light on human skin. I was intrigued by their biological model that was designed to better understand the effects and development of melanoma.

My flesh was removed and grafted onto a SCID mouse for further research. The procedure was documented on video and I visited the mouse over a period of eleven months after the grafting. The project deviated from scientific research when I buried the mouse’s ashes in the wall of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum. After the burial I chronicled the project in the form of paper mazes and a video of the burial.