Entangled Entities at The New Gallery

Entangled Entities is an immersive installation including molecular animation with sound, participatory tactile sculptures and networked devices exploring remote sensing and interspecies entanglements in the biotechnological landscape. Drawing upon artifacts of biotechnological modes of production ranging from machines to animals, the work explores the expanded industrial apparatus that intertwines science and culture. The installation situates images of the coronavirus, among other artworks that incorporate artifacts of non-human species who are used for antibody production for human vaccines. The exhibition features a multi-channel animation that was created using molecular visualization software and SARS-CoV-2 protein models. The animation is accompanied by an immersive soundscape inspired by the coronavirus genetic sequence. A series of networked laboratory mixers are activated by social media activity relating to the contested status of science. A data-driven fan adjusts based on the wind conditions at a biological laboratory in rural Pennsylvania. A rug made from the hand-spun wool of laboratory llamas and alpacas invites viewers to sit while listing to a voyeuristic sound collage of recordings made in a biotech laboratory. Together, these artworks destabilize notions of the presence and absence of bodies, evoking the mutability of categories that delineate their status, unpacking constructions of self and other. The themes in Entangled Entities, including viruses, vaccines, and interconnected systems, are especially timely in this unique moment of the COVID-19 pandemic, framing complex biomedical issues with provocations of curiosity and wonder.