March 12 - 19, 2021
“Enter the virus. MORSE-COVID is an immersive sound and video installation by NY/TX artist anthamatten-dominguez where the 29, 792 nucleotides of the RNA sequence of the coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) have been translated into Morse code, yielding a 7.5 hour “transmission” of the information embedded in the virus. The installation is projected inside a mini-planetarium dome (designed by Matthew Doughterry) built inside downtown Houston’s underground art space and bar Notsuoh (Jim Pirtle). A wholly immersive experience where viewers “suit up” before entering the virus, sit with it, meditate inside of it, and, perhaps, develop a new relation to it. At its most basic level, a virus simply is a transmitter of information. Its only function is to perpetuate itself through recreating the code that is embedded in its genetic structure. Though COVID has caused so much human turmoil—for individuals and for society—the virus itself is a mindless messenger. Much like any coded message, meaning only arises when it collides with a human body and its consciousness. MORSE-COVID allows us to go inside the virus, inhabiting it as it has inhabited our own bodies and communities, encountering and perhaps meditating upon all of the important aspects that this pandemic has forced us to face: health, social systems, precariousness, life, and death.
MORSE-COVID is part of a larger exhibition that includes several pandemic-themed pieces by Houston’s godfather’s of performance, Jim Pirtle. These will include installations that explore themes of isolation (an indoor desert island), sickness and the senses (a chamber full of scent infused bubbles), and meditations upon the many changes in routine and ritual (grieving of the dead) that have occurred over the year of the pandemic. anthamatten-dominguez is a New York based performance artist originally from Houston, where he began his performance career at the first annual Texas Performance Explosion. HIs most recent work includes performing alongside Pope.L at MoMA in a piece titled “Dressing Up for Civil Rights.” Jim Pirtle has been a performance artist in Houston for decades, and is the owner of the Notsuoh, which was recently featured in Texas Monthly. Matthew Doughterry is the Brunelleschi of mini-planetariums and mobile dome design and an expert in scientific visualization, including 360 video, S3D, and VR. (Precautions have been taken to make the installation as safe as possible. Timed entry will allow only pods of up to five at a time. As an additional safety precaution, the air is treated with HEPAC/UVC units as it circulates through the dome.) For further information, visit MORSECOVID.com or contact [email protected].”
Artist talk: March 20, 2021 | 6–7:30 pm
Tickets available at www.MorseCovid.com
314 Main Street
Houston, 77002 TX
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