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Description: When a child is born into being, he cries at the very first instance, indicating himself as a human being. According to Husserl's phenomenology of embodiment, at this very moment the wholeness the infant possessed in his mother's womb no longer exists - he now embodies his own flesh. A child becomes aware of his new existential liberties by being exposed to a lack of physical freedom. For Immanuel Kant, this is the reason why a child comes into the world with a loud cry. In his book, Anthropology From A Pragmatic Point Of View Kant describes how belonging to a body but not yet being able to control it leaves a child in a helpless situation. In contrast, other mammal infants are capable of monitoring their limbs from the first day. For Kant, the newborn’s cry presents an innate judgment concerning the unfair conditions of his existence from the moment he is born.

Media: mixed media installation (plaster, linen, paper)

Exhibited: as part of Jedidja Smalbil RESIDENCE BOX, Nooderlicht photo festival

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