Before it became a fuel source, oil was often used for its therapeutic and medicinal properties, known as the ‘miracle liquid’ from around the 6th century BC. It was said to cure many ailments, from feet sores to impotence. This ancient use of oil can still be seen in places like Naftalan in Azerbaijan, where people bathe in it for ten minutes as a spa treatment. This work imagines this therapeutic practice’s resurgence in the future, after oil has become worthless as an energy producer.
Commissioned by Stroom Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands (2017)
Before it became a fuel source, oil was often used for its therapeutic and medicinal properties, known as the ‘miracle liquid’ from around the 6th century BC. It was said to cure many ailments, from feet sores to impotence. This ancient use of oil can still be seen in places like Naftalan in Azerbaijan, where people bathe in it for ten minutes as a spa treatment. This work imagines this therapeutic practice’s resurgence in the future, after oil has become worthless as an energy producer.
Commissioned by Stroom Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands (2017)