Design Commissions
Bas van de Poel curated (together with Marina Otero Verzier) the _Malware _exhibition (2019), which was about the development and impact of computer viruses. He also developed its graphic and spatial design together with Astin le Clercq.
Malware: overview of the exhibition
Malware
How do you visualise a phenomenon that intends to go unnoticed? "The first computer viruses often had a visual presence," explains Bas van de Poel. "But as the viruses grew in economic and political impact, they became increasingly hidden. The effects of those invisible viruses are therefore illustrated with images by artist Jack Featherstone of Tomorrow Bureau. His advanced high-res renders were combined with fragments from existing documentaries about the geopolitical impact of the viruses." Van de Poel previously organised an online exhibition on this subject. "There are interesting stories about the origin of the viruses. For example, the Melissa virus, which has caused millions of euros in damage, is named after its creator's favourite stripper."
The exhibition took place on the third floor of Het Nieuwe Instituut. This space has a series of parallel corridors that span its entire width. "The passageways correspond nicely with the endless server corridors of data centres," explains Astin le Clercq. "We were looking for a formal language in keeping with the subject. We built these by reconfiguring existing shelving units. A soundtrack, inspired by the oppressive buzzing sound of server fans, played in the room. We kept the space dark, with only low lighting, adding to the dystopian atmosphere."
The exhibition was structured like a timeline: from the first computer viruses to an increasingly faster contagion via the internet and ultimately the far-reaching geopolitical impact of the most recent generation of viruses. "As we become more dependent on technology, viruses will have a greater impact on our daily lives," says Van de Poel. "Digital technology has an increasingly far-reaching and radical impact on the physical world." The term "computer virus" directly refers to the human body. Hence, the exhibition ends with an image of the human figure. The first computer viruses arose parallel to the spread of the AIDS virus. "Whereas the computer virus was at first only an analogy of a biological virus, nowadays the impact is increasingly physical and again threatens the human body."
The computer virus started as a harmless joke among nerds in the late 1980s but has since grown into a digital weapon of geopolitical significance. The _Malware _exhibition reveals the often-hidden design process behind viruses. Emulation software, archive material and artistic interpretations depict different moments in the transition from hobby to radical forms of international cybercrime. As such, the paradoxical "beauty" and complexity of this type of technology is made visible: the smarter the virus design, the more damaging the possible consequences.