Episode 52: A Chapter about Slime
File Under: Slime by Christopher Michlig — a cultural history of Slime — was recently published by Hat & Beard Editions. What is slime? We are well acquainted with its qualities in conjunction with certain things from which we tend to recoil but to which we are also at times attracted. Despite being everywhere, slime is a surprisingly unexamined cultural phenomenon. File Under: Slime collates a cultural history of “slime” and “sliminess,” with particular emphasis on precedents in pop-culture, contemporary art, ecology, science fiction, literature, critical theory, and cinema. Artist and professor Christopher Michlig’s research characterizes slime as a pervasive, oozing, cultural phenomenon, documenting instances of its evolving representations. The appearance of slime in such films as The Blob, Ghostbusters, and Poltergeist are diligently and humorously analyzed, commercial and graphic design precedents are incorporated, and the work of such artists as Lynda Benglis, Cindy Sherman, Robert Smithson, Sterling Ruby, and Jason Rhoades are discussed. Alongside a multitude of visual references, File Under: Slime is supplemented with literary and theoretical references from such writers as Jean Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Mike Kelley, Rosalind Krauss, Laura Mulvey, and others. +++ SLIME: A NATURAL HISTORY by SUSANNE WEDLICH — a different but like-minded cultural history of slime — was also recently published by Melville House in New York. This groundbreaking, witty, and eloquent exploration of slime will leave you appreciating the nebulous and neglected sticky stuff that covers our world, inside and out. Slime exists at the interfaces of all things: between the organs and layers in our bodies, and between the earth, water, and air in the world, and is often produced in the fatal encounter between predator and prey. In this fascinating, ground-breaking book, Wedlich leads us on a scientific journey through the 3-billion-year history of slime—from the part it played in the evolution of life on this planet to the way it might feature in the post-human future. She also explores the cultural and emotional significance of slime, from its starring role in the horror genre to its subtle influence on Art Nouveau. +++ Susanne Wedlich studied biology and political science in Munich and has worked as a writer in Boston and Singapore. She is currently a freelance science journalist for Der Spiegel and National Geographic. She lives in Munich. Christopher Michlig, meanwhile, makes work in a wide range of media, including collage, printmaking, sculpture, and film. His work has been reviewed and featured in The Los Angeles Times, Mousse Magazine, Saatchi Online, Flavorpill, and New City and exhibited nationally and internationally. Michlig received an MFA from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California and he is currently Associate Professor and area Coordinator of Core Studio at the University of Oregon, Eugene. The authors caught up this spring to discuss their books and mutual fascination with slime.
