Virus Simulation (2011-2015)

In Collaboration with Kipp Bradford

*Last image from After Wearing: A History of Gestures, Actions, and Jewelry, 2015, at Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York. Photo by Mònica Gaspar

Virus Simulation is a collaborative work between artist and jeweler Lauren Kalman and biomedical engineer Kipp Bradford. Virus Simulation is an interactive artwork that makes visible the hidden world of a biological virus spread by social contact. It is comprised of wearable interactive electronic jewelry that mimics the spread of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The design for these broaches is derived from a computer image of the HPV virus.

Virus Simulation consists of adornment objects that are wearable computers. The computers are custom variants of the Arduino Pro Mini 328 developed by Kippkitts, LLC. These computers are equipped with infra-red (IR) transceivers for inter-device communication, as well as LEDs to “communicate” to the human host. Virus Simulation is powered by electronics loosely derived from Socialbomb, an interactive wearable badge that measured interpersonal reputation based on social promiscuity and status, and electronics derived from the AS220 Fool’s Board, an Arduino and XBee-based flexible platform for social gaming.

This work creates an opportunity to simulate the spread of a contagious disease in a real population, explore the limitations of simulations, explore the social implications, while avoiding the obvious ethical problem of infecting a live population with a live virus.

This research and design project combines Kalman’s visual art practice and Bradford’s biomedical engineering practice. The collaborators bring together two fields that deal with wearable objects and the body. Bradford designs innovative functional devices where Kalman’s practice is dedicated to conceptual adornment. This work draws from two distinct histories, one dealing with aesthetics and the other biomechanical function, and provides a unique intersection.