I'm Too Sad to Tell You. 2023.
This video is a recreation of Bas Jan Ader's conceptual artwork I'm Too Sad to Tell You (1970). The original is a silent B&W video of the artist crying for roughly three minutes.
The handkerchief I dab my eyes with in this video is dyed with turmeric. When an alkaline liquid makes contact with turmeric, it quickly oxidizes and turns scarlet.
Tears are alkaline.
The effect is volatile and transient; the red marks fade rapidly and disappear completely when exposed to light. By the end of the following day, the fabric was back to yellow.