This sensory installation reframes traditional Alchemy to embody a desire for fluid transformation, in spaces which commonly require us to be unchanging and agreeable. As with systems of oppressive control throughout history, Alchemy attempted to purify the ‘base’ to reach ‘higher’, more valued matter - in Alchemy’s case, transmogrifying substances like lead into gold.

I have used the lengthy cooking process of a quince to mirror Spagyric experiments - Alchemical techniques which seek to extract spiritual knowledge from plant matter. The quince undergoes a surprising colour change from white to red, transforming something overlooked and inedible into a delicacy. ‘Personal Alchemies’ questions what happens if we stop attempting to become more palatable to others, and instead accept our fluid state of misunderstood strangeness, like the quince.

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