In Ahmed’s series of unique sculptures, water infused with Human Growth hormone (a common anti-aging medication) runs through the sculpture, evoking ancient mythology to understand our contemporary drive to defy ageing caused by oxidation. Its mirrored surface, reminiscent of the myth of Narcissus, invites us to reconsider the valuation of our bodies over the bodies of water and the life it contains. The association between the flow of fluids and the flow of time has been forged since antiquity and the regulation of the flow of water was one of the first ways of measuring the passage of time. Here, the water drops appear suspended in the air due to the stroboscopic effect, as if frozen in time, yet the emptying water clocks simultaneously breach the illusion. This contradiction in cause-and-effect is analogous to the lifesaving necessity of pharmaceuticals and the imbalances they create in the natural environment.

Pharmaceuticals are non-biodegradable. 90% of Pharmaceutical Pollution is introduced to the waterways through human urine. We rely on them to maintain our quality of life, but broader environmental consequences are often still unknown. For example, the birth control pill brought social freedom and also increased the androgenization of fish.

This work was originally commissioned by GLUON with the support of the European STARTS programme, Pollet Water Group, Pharma.be, Inopsys, VITO Vlakwa, Surplace & Capture-UGent.