Lea Porsager – Repulsive Enchantment

Magnetic \ Superstition
Twelve magnetic elements are attached to the pipe-grid that runs below the ceiling towards the radiators on the ground floor. The magnetic sculptures literally grab the architects’ concept of unconcealed infrastructure. The red, magnetic field-makers clasp the pipes’ core, enchanting its liquid heart. Four bars are loaded with permanent magnets and placed in a closed circuit around the pipes, changing the molecular structure of the febrile fluid that passes through them. The work draws heavily on the concept of  “magnetized water” — a New Age phenomenon that has been debunked by many (let’s just say that the hot-ness of the radiators makes the effects even more dubious). Seeing that Aarhus-fluids have been categorized as “pretty hard”, this work assumes that it yearns to soften, to feel a nebulous warmth. However, the work must be seen as tentative and without promise. A gentle and speculative reminder of how systemic patterns can be changed in a non-harmful way.