Mosquito Computer
2015-2017

Press: Contemporary Art Daily, Art Viewer, Momentum Journal, DIS

Presentations

Mosquito Computer, Broad Art Museum - East Lansing, Michigan
Pretense, Human Resources -Los Angeles, California
National Gallery 2: Empire, CHEWDAY's - London, England
Abject, Import Projects - Berlin, Germany
Wether, Chapter NY - New York, New York

Mosquito Computer at the Broad Art Museum
2018
mosquito larvae, mosquitos, artist's blood, Broad Art Museum display case by Zaha Hadid, Broad Art Museum cafe glassware, window screen, pond water, tree resin/amber, "Batman​ ​v​ ​Superman:​ ​Dawn​ ​of​ ​Justice" by Zack Snyder (2016)

wall text: "For​ ​this​ ​iteration​ ​of​ ​Andrew​ ​Norman​ ​Wilson’s​ ​​Mosquito​ ​Computer​,​ ​the​ ​museum​ ​architecture created​ ​by​ ​Zaha​ ​Hadid​ ​becomes​ ​the​ ​work’s​ ​chassis.​ ​Earlier​ ​exhibitions​ ​of​ ​the​ ​work​ ​were contained​ ​within​ ​a​ ​customized​ ​computer​ ​case.​ ​The​ ​architecture​ ​and​ ​the​ ​computer​ ​then​ ​become one​ ​and​ ​the​ ​same,​ ​and​ ​even​ ​this​ ​wall​ ​text​ ​transforms​ ​into​ ​a​ ​README​ ​file.​ ​Inside​ ​the​ ​“computer” are​ ​two​ ​hard​ ​drive​ ​enclosures,​ ​one​ ​filled​ ​with​ ​a​ ​pond​ ​for​ ​larvae​ ​to​ ​grow,​ ​the​ ​other​ ​with​ ​tree​ ​resin that​ ​serves​ ​as​ ​both​ ​a​ ​food​ ​supply​ ​and​ ​a​ ​preservation​ ​medium​ ​for​ ​dead​ ​mosquitoes.​ ​An​ ​excerpt of​ ​the​ ​film​ ​​Batman​ ​v​ ​Superman:​ ​Dawn​ ​of​ ​Justice​​ ​(2016)​ ​is​ ​projected​ ​within​ ​the​ ​space​ ​as​ ​visual stimulus​ ​for​ ​the​ ​mosquitoes,​ ​also​ ​acknowledging​ ​the​ ​museum’s​ ​role​ ​as​ ​a​ ​set​ ​in​ ​the​ ​film.​ ​Over the​ ​course​ ​of​ ​the​ ​exhibition,​ ​the​ ​female​ ​mosquitoes​ ​are​ ​fed​ ​blood​ ​meals​ ​sourced​ ​from​ ​the artist’s​ ​veins​ ​to​ ​afford​ ​them​ ​the​ ​protein​ ​they​ ​need​ ​to​ ​make​ ​their​ ​eggs.​ ​These​ ​blood​ ​meals​ ​also allow​ ​the​ ​artist​ ​to​ ​store​ ​his​ ​genetic​ ​information​ ​temporarily​ ​in​ ​the​ ​mosquitoes’​ ​bodies,​ ​and​ ​then permanently​ ​in​ ​the​ ​tree​ ​resin​ ​once​ ​it​ ​becomes​ ​amber.​ ​As​ ​the​ ​artist​ ​points​ ​out,​ ​“according​ ​to​ ​the narrative​ ​of​ ​​Jurassic​ ​Park​​ ​(1993),​ ​this​ ​could​ ​allow​ ​for​ ​clones​ ​to​ ​be​ ​produced​ ​in​ ​the​ ​future.”

Mosquito Computer
2017
mosquito larvae, mosquitos, artist's blood, anodized aluminum custom computer case, anodized aluminum hard drive enclosures, acrylic, window screen, pond water, tree resin/amber, "On Golden Pond" by Mark Rydell (1981)

README file: "Mosquito Computer (2015-2017) is a custom computer case that has been modified to house multiple generations of mosquitoes over the course of an art exhibition. Inside the case is a mosquito colony, a hard drive enclosure with a small pond inside for larvae to grow, and another hard drive enclosure filled with tree resin that serves as both a food supply and a preservation medium for dead mosquitoes. The multi-generational family drama On Golden Pond (1981) is projected onto the case to serve as visual stimuli for the mosquitoes. Over the course of the exhibition, the female mosquitoes are fed blood meals sourced from the artist’s veins to afford them the protein they need to make their eggs. These blood meals also allow the artist to store his genetic information temporarily in the mosquitoes’ bodies, and permanently in the tree resin once it becomes amber. According to the narrative of Jurassic Park (1993), this could allow for clones of the artist to be produced in the future."

mosquito city-room-computer
mosquito larvae, mosquitos, anodized aluminum custom computer case, acrylic, blooming plant, mosquito netting, water, mosquito feed, steam, On Golden Pond by Mark Rydell (1981), microphone, lambskin condom, human blood