Working inside the former sewage plant and underground channels in Bubeneč, Scott Billings examines the architecture and machinery of the space in relation to the digestive system of the body. Inspired by William of Auvergne's ironic quote “Maledicta Paradisus in qua tantum cacatur”, Scott’s audiovisual installation attempts to reveal the hidden interior spaces of both the modern city and the human body. Does the animal body of man—which eats and defecates—belong within his own concept of paradise? By licking the sludge screens of the sewage plant and amplifying the sounds of his stomach with a stethoscope-microphone, the artist performs a crude sense of humour whilst drawing from a wide mixture of references such as Kafka’s The Burrow and the behavior of the dung beetle.
This project was created in conjunction with Communication Space Skolska 28, the Ekotechnické Museum and Asociace MLOK.
Scott Billings’ recent work looks at the relationship between technology and the animal. Using both his own body and figures of animals, he makes installations with video and kinetic machines. Scott lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. Scott holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia, a BFA from Emily Carr University, and a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. He works and lives in Vancouver, Canada.
