Atlas of Distortion, 2016
InstallationAtlas of Distortion considers the relationship between virus and tyrant, both obsessed with control and exponential growth. Biological weapons are humankind’s oldest and most malicious weapons of mass destruction, used through history to change the map of the world.Working with visualizations of microorganisms used for warfare and genocide, these malicious killers are remodeled into soft sculptures displayed in a sterile environment reminiscent of a science museum. Each sculpture is accompanied by a short text explaining its origins and use.
Virus name: The Guillotine
Date: 1347 (14th century)
It started as a non-lethal virus, like the influenza. But for unknown reasons another extremely ferocious generation emerged, killing and annihilating one third of Europe’s population. That was how the idea of using it as a weapon originated, and it became one of the most important elements used in biological terrorism later.
Virus Name: Hercules
Date: 5th century BC
A ceramic bottle was found, which tells the history of how the direct use of biological elements like toxins from fungi, animals and plants had started. Paintings on the bottle depict the story of Hercules trying to kill snakes and extract their venom to poison his arrows before using them.
Virus Name: The White Monster
Date: 17th-19th century
Used by an empire that prospered on the blood and was erected on human skulls, it annihilated 185 million persons using a vicious mix of germs. They claimed that this was only a minor side effect of spreading civilization.
Virus Name: The killing fudge
Date: 20th century
It was created recently, and humans are still working on developing this weapon to produce more dangerous biological weapons, affecting physical and mental characteristics by having the toxin stick to the genetic material, causing a breeding (cloning) that ends in mass extermination.
