---
title: "A bittersweet story about the risks of art. "I spent up to 12 hours a…"
date: 2020-01-01
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
---

# A bittersweet story about the risks of art. "I spent up to 12 hours a…

*January 1, 2020 · Facebook*

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[https://torontolife.com/city/life/my-beautiful-death/](https://torontolife.com/city/life/my-beautiful-death/){target="_blank"}
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A bittersweet story about the risks of art.\
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\"I spent up to 12 hours a day grinding and sanding the shells to fit into the shape of Adam's body. They beautifully replicated the striations in his muscle fibres. I sifted through thousands of mussels and served them to friends and ­family two or three times a week.\
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After a few months working on Adam, I began to feel unwell. I was agitated all of the time. I had constant headaches, and I vomited often, sometimes a few times a day. I visited a never-ending assortment of specialists---neurologists, rheumatologists, endocrinologists---hoping to figure out what was wrong with me. When they asked me if I worked with anything toxic, I said no, that I only used natural materials.\
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One day, I visited the ROM, where I met a curator of invertebrates. He mentioned that bones and shells accumulate toxins in their environment. Upon further research, I discovered that common blue mussels are filter feeders. They pump several litres of water per hour and concentrate chemicals in their tissues. In some countries, mussels are used to read toxicity levels in the water. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.\"\
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[https://torontolife.com/city/life/my-beautiful-death/](https://torontolife.com/city/life/my-beautiful-death/){target="_blank"}
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