uroeliXir (2025)
uroeliXir is a reach outward of the mind and imagination, seeking to unearth the potentiality and purposefulness of urine when approached as a golden nectar.
PRELUDE
"Point-blank, your urine is the result of your own love." (Tathagata)
Urine—an intimate and often overlooked substance—has been revered in ancient traditions such as Ayurveda and the yogic practice of Amaroli (1) as well as in modern urotherapy (2), where it is used for medicinal, cosmetic, and spiritual purposes. In Tibetan Buddhism, urine is regarded as one of the “five nectars”: “human feces” (dri chen), “urine” (dri chu), “menstrual blood” (rak ta), “semen” (khu ba), and “marrow” (rkang mar). These vital elements are used in Indian and Tibetan tantric rituals of purification, transformation, and spiritual empowerment. The five nectars correspond to the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) as well as the five skandhas (mental factors of clinging) (3).
(1) International Association of Yoga Therapists. (n.d.). Amaroli: An Ancient Practice – Bibliography and Resources. Retrieved from https://cdn.ymaws.com/iayt.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/bibliographies-members/amaroli.pdf
(2) Van Der Kroon, Complete Guide to Urine Therapy, https://urotherapyresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/pdf/complete-guide-to-urine-therapy-.pdf
(3) Tony Chui, “Secret Medicine” in the Writings of Sanggyé Gyatso: the Encoded Esoteric Material of Therapeutics, in Knowledge and Context in Tibetan Medicine (Brill, 2019).
ARTISTIC RESEARCH AND ARTWORK
uroeliXir is a 48-day (25.6.25–12.8.25) photo-documented research performance with and by Jatun Risba, exploring the effects of drinking one’s own morning urine on the bodymind. After performing a pH test and ingesting their first morning urine, the artist takes a Polaroid portrait that captures their expression and appearance (their inner motions) immediately after the act. A sample of midstream morning urine (from the one ingested) is collected each day as a form of material documentation—an example of radical mattering with the aim of de-tabooing and bringing urine back into the fabric of contemporary life.
The Significance of 48 Days: Three Cycles of Tranformation
The uroeliXir project unfolds over 48 days (one Mandala in the Indian yogic system) that can be divided into three phases of 16 days each, marking distinct stages in a complete cycle for physical and energetic transformation. It roughly corresponds to the time it takes for cells in the body to renew and for new habits to form at a physiological level. (4)
• The first phase supports cleansing and detoxification, where the body and mind begin to release toxins and old patterns.
• The second focuses on adaptation and strengthening, as the system integrates the practice and shifts towards balance.
• The third emphasizes consolidation and deeper transformation, stabilizing the new state of harmony and vitality.
(4) Sivakumar, T. & Palaniappan, M. (2017). Therapeutic use of urine in traditional systems of medicine and modern clinical practices: A review. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 7(3), 354–360. Retrieved from ScienceDirect.
*uroeliXir was developed as part of the collaborative art-sci-tech research project eliXir, developed by Jatun Risba in co. with Uroš Brezavšček and Vita Matjac (Floravita) and produced by the xMobil platform from Xcenter Nova Gorica, part of the official GO! 2025 program for the European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica-Gorizia.