The Biomachine has two parts. The first part is the structure on the wall, which is covered in viruses. We have viruses that are part of our everyday lives. We’re never going to rid ourselves of viruses. So we must figure out how we can live harmoniously with viruses.

 

The second part of the installation is humankind’s response to having viruses in our everyday lives. On the structure itself, we have a cross-section of multiple viruses. The form coming out of the wall represents a virus from inside a cell. The virus is coming inside the cell.

 

The displays attached to the structure are the window into the inside of the virus. You are seeing the inside of the virus. This installation is a collaboration between artists and researchers so that we can take their research and represent it on the displays.

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We worked with a student who created a 3D print of a similar structure with sensors and buttons with Arduino and coding. Pressing the buttons triggers five different videos. The design is very modular, and we can swap current representations with others, like the virus or infectious disease of the month.