[Description and Analysis by Renée van Veen]
"Helena" (2000) is an installation created by Marco Evaristti. The work consists of ten blenders filled with water and containing a single goldfish. The blenders are not activated but are plugged in; anyone can turn them on if they feel inclined to do so. While the work does not necessarily promote the killing of animals, it does encourage the spectator to reflect on the possibility of doing so. Evaristti demands active engagement from everyone who encounters the artwork. The spectator is obliged to make a decision, whether they push the button or not.
The installation raises a number of questions. Perhaps the most important one for anyone involved: who is responsible for the damage caused? While neither the artist nor the museum that exhibited "Helena" inflicted any direct harm on the goldfish, they were still held accountable for whatever happened during the exhibition. The spectators, some of whom activated the blenders, and many of whom did not prevent others from doing so, were not attributed any blame. As such, the work reveals something about the assumed loss of agency of the spectators within the safety of a museum.
Whether the setting justifies the behaviour of the spectator or not, "Helena" is built upon the premise of human dominance over other species. This goes beyond the ability of the artwork to force the audience to decide upon the life of the goldfish; the artist, too, like every pet owner or meat eater, chooses, to some extent, how the animal lives. One could wonder whether exploiting real animals to make these power relations visible is ethical. However, the uncomfortable use of reality in this work might also be the most effective way to make hypothetical questions about death and dominance tangible.
