the cough

Something is within you
and it shouldn’t, no
no, it’s not yours

Something in the airways
in the air’s way

Face turned slightly downward
eyes firmly shut
a furrow or two between the brows
cheeks puffed
the mouth takes the shape 
of a fish’s

The coughing patient
coughs, therefore, is ill
coughs, therefore, is patient

The Cough is a combination of words and images. The words follow the trajectory of the cough from deep within a body out into the world. The images are abstracted versions of scientific depictions of coughs. Droplets released from a cough were photographed in laboratories using laser light and high speed cameras. I’ve blown these up, cropped and rasterized them and present them as prints with white ink on black paper. 

booklet with fold-out cover
24 pages, 23 x 16 cm
riso-printed (inside)
white ink on black paper (cover)
handbound with cahier-stitch
2022

The book was designed by Corine van der Wal, riso-printed with black ink at risowiso and the covers were printed with white ink by De Kijm. It was self-published in a small edition.

With The Cough I won the open call for Artistic Research on the Remembrance of the Covid-19-crisisby Universiteit Utrecht, Centraal Museum Utrecht & ZonMW. Also, I received generous support from the Mondriaan Fund. Many thanks to all involved.

A copy of 'The Cough' costs €14,- (excl. shipping).

Installation views of The Cough during The Cough & Other Ghosts, solo-exhibition at …ism projects, The Hague