Showing posts with label virus-host relationship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virus-host relationship. Show all posts
Friday, 23 July 2010
Monday, 7 June 2010
Changeling
I am currently developing a new video work for a show at Globe Gallery, North Shields. Preparation began last week and the work is now being composited in Adobe After Effects by Andrzej Wojtas, who recently edited my fulldome work Continuum. The installation in the gallery consists of rear-projection onto 5' 5" diameter circular screen with a custom built frame by William Oliver & Rodman Russel Ltd. The construction of the circular steel frame is based on the design of an embroidery ring. The work will open next Thursday (17th June) at the gallery, which is located on Howard Street, North Shields. Click here for directions
The work is an outcome from the Mutations project, which looks at traditional notions of beauty, which are often bound up with balance, order and harmony. Alongside this, it considers imperfection, difference the struggle to 'fit', whether physically or psychologically. The ideas that developed out of the various periods of research - however abstracted and ambiguous - deal with transformation of self, image, identity and the potential beauty in imperfection and difference. Changeling, the new work in development for Globe gently approaches some of these ideas.
In Western European mythology a Changeling is the child of a fairy, troll, elf or other mythological creature left behind in place of a human child that has been taken. The term 'Changeling' came to represent the unknown in medieval literature, often being used to describe children with unidentified physical or mental disease or illness.
The research, which fed ideas into the development of the project looked at several very different tranformative processes. During the residency with the MRC Virology Unit I spent time observing the potential and often devastating method by which a virus particle enters and appropriates the human body at a cellular level. The virus manipulates our biology to gain an advantage, every part of the cell structure is utilised in the production of new virus progeny. In contrast, my time in rural Allenheads during the Base Elements residency led me to look at the alchemical opus and the quest for perfection though the transmutation of base metals into gold. Gold has a complex and conflicting role in the mythology of many cultures and still reflects ideas of status. It has been used to symbolise idolatry and the divine, a blessing and a curse.
In the work the body has been altered both physically and through digital editing becoming a hybrid of both traditional and contemporary notions of beauty, perfection and their opposites. We recognise the tail, a symbol of difference, a psychological manifestation, a mutation or a myth? In the early stages of development human embryos develop tail structures however, these recede and though there have been claims, there are no recorded instances of a human child being born with a tail. When ideas emerged for the prosthetic tail I was interested in this idea of an impossible mutation, a representation of the unseen, a physical projection of the unconscious, also a possible bringer of balance.
The work is an outcome from the Mutations project, which looks at traditional notions of beauty, which are often bound up with balance, order and harmony. Alongside this, it considers imperfection, difference the struggle to 'fit', whether physically or psychologically. The ideas that developed out of the various periods of research - however abstracted and ambiguous - deal with transformation of self, image, identity and the potential beauty in imperfection and difference. Changeling, the new work in development for Globe gently approaches some of these ideas.
In Western European mythology a Changeling is the child of a fairy, troll, elf or other mythological creature left behind in place of a human child that has been taken. The term 'Changeling' came to represent the unknown in medieval literature, often being used to describe children with unidentified physical or mental disease or illness.
The research, which fed ideas into the development of the project looked at several very different tranformative processes. During the residency with the MRC Virology Unit I spent time observing the potential and often devastating method by which a virus particle enters and appropriates the human body at a cellular level. The virus manipulates our biology to gain an advantage, every part of the cell structure is utilised in the production of new virus progeny. In contrast, my time in rural Allenheads during the Base Elements residency led me to look at the alchemical opus and the quest for perfection though the transmutation of base metals into gold. Gold has a complex and conflicting role in the mythology of many cultures and still reflects ideas of status. It has been used to symbolise idolatry and the divine, a blessing and a curse.
In the work the body has been altered both physically and through digital editing becoming a hybrid of both traditional and contemporary notions of beauty, perfection and their opposites. We recognise the tail, a symbol of difference, a psychological manifestation, a mutation or a myth? In the early stages of development human embryos develop tail structures however, these recede and though there have been claims, there are no recorded instances of a human child being born with a tail. When ideas emerged for the prosthetic tail I was interested in this idea of an impossible mutation, a representation of the unseen, a physical projection of the unconscious, also a possible bringer of balance.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Continuum - New Work for Newcastle ScienceFest 2010
Exploring notions of beauty and the struggle for perfection, 'Continuum' peers through the looking glass into another world, somewhere between the familiar and the the unknown, where the body is transformed.
I am developing a new video work for Newcastle ScienceFest 2010. the work will be specially adapted for the unique setting of the planetarium at Newcastle's Centre for Life. Shooting will begin at the Lab Space at Dance City in January with Ian Bailey (Darkeye Digital)
The work has been in the planning for some time. It marks the first outcome of over a year of research, which has included residencies with the Medical Research Council, Virology Unit (Glasgow), Allenheads Contemporary Arts (Northumberland) and Dance City (Newcastle).
I have been working with Chris Hudson (Public Engagement Technical Coordinator) at Life to figure out logistics of creating Fulldome video for the hemispherical surface of the planetarium. We plan to visit the National Space Centre in Leicester to meet with Paul Mowbray in their creative department and talk about some of the technical aspects of this form of creation. National Space Centre Creative are responsible for some of the most innovative Fulldome productions, view some trailers here.
A specially created 5.1 surround soundscape will be commissioned by Nick Able and Benjamin Freeth. We hope to gather sounds from the body using specialised microphones and to blend these with synthesised elements to create an atmosphere that will both inform and respond to the visuals.
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Fragmented Observations (At the Early Stage of Infection)
Primal Urges
Like all life on earth viruses are driven by a desire to survive, this can be ensured by processes of reproduction and avoidance and they have developed incredibly sophisticated methods of ensuring these basic needs are met. Viruses have evolved over hundreds of millions of years - they are parasitic, not symbiotic - they can survive in various ways outside of the cell, though this is where they want to be. Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) will become latent following infection, however, once the virus is embedded you have 'a friend for life'. Only becoming active again when the immune system displays signs of being lowered - perhaps a trigger, such is the case with Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), another member of the Herpes family of viruses studied at the unit. Could this be seen as an attempt to flee, understanding the need to move on to a new, healthier host?
Hostile Takeover - In Vivo
Once viruses enter the cell their main aim is to replicate, some need to enter the nucleus to achieve this, such as HSV, some can complete this process in the cytoplasm of the cell such as HCV. They utilise most, if not all of the structures and processes within the cell to achieve their aim, the prognosis for the infected cell is not good. The process that is generally referred to as replication includes many stages - negotiations and appropriations - of the cells natural function but can be broken down into 3 main categories: entry, assembly and egress. Within this there are many further processes and strategies employed by different viruses: attachment, internalisaton, endocytosis, nuclear targeting, transcription, translation, genome replication, genome packaging, exocytosis and cell-to-cell spread.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) gains entry into liver cells using naturally occurring lipid particles inside of the body as a Trojan horse, tricking the cell to gain entry.
Following entry into the cell HCMV releases a 'first line' of proteins specifically designed to combat the cells primitive defenses to infection. The infected cell will try to warn neighbouring cells of the impending danger, HCMV is also capable of targeting the natural interferonproduced to carry out this early warning system.
Maximum Efficiency - The Highest Order
Like all complex cellular life, viruses have a rich evolutionary history, viruses studied at the unit cause human disease and can be classified into two main groups: DNA viruses and RNA viruses. Certain strains being traced back hundred of millions of years and having ancestors who have successfully infected many different species, HSV is one such virus. The HSV virus genome was successfully sequenced at the Virology Unit in Glasgow in the late 80's, it is a large, DNA virus that replicates in the nucleus of the cell. During this process new protein shells (capsids) must be created, which must then be filled with the newly replicated DNA strands. This process is called packaging. HSV replicates long strands of DNA calledconcatemers, which contain multiple copies of the same complete genome sequence joined together in a head to tail arrangement. During packaging this genetic information must be inserted into the procapsid (capsid before inclusion of DNA) and cleaved up into complete single genome strands. An incredibly powerful molecular motor forces the negatively charged particles arranged along the DNA strand inside the capsid through the portal - it is unclear how this system functions. The DNA is subsequently arranged within the capsid in such a way that it is filled to capacity. The resultant pressure caused by large quantities of negatively charged particles in close proximity is said to be equivalent to the pressure within 10 bottles of champagne.
Accident / Design
It is difficult to describe viral activity and characteristics without anthropomorphising, and this makes it somewhat difficult to think of viruses without these analogies. There is a history of debate on this issue which centre around the definition of life. Theoretically viruses may have developed concomitantly with cellular life on earth, their are theories that at this early stage things were not so clean cut. Lending strength to this simultaneous evolutionary theory is clearly identified presence of latent Retro Virus DNA embedded within the human genome. Do we have a viral predisposition? There is another evolutionary theory which talks of a 'RNA world' as the possible origins of life and the predecessor to our DNA based existence. It is speculated that RNA viruses such as HCV could be the ancient remnants of such a world.
During my first week in the unit viruses have been described to me in terms of having: needs, desires, specific familial behaviours and preemptive and defensive strategies for evasion and recognition. Obviously, there is an element of attempting to communicate very complex ideas in a way that is understandable - is there something more to this? As a positive sense RNA virus HCV is able to replicate very quickly upon entry into the cells cytoplasm, but it has an inability to proofread as it replicates leading to a high level of mutation in its progeny. This inability could be viewed as a defect in the nonstructural RNA, it could also be viewed as a highly evolved and amazingly effective viral defence mechanism - a viral intelligence? As in all scientific research, a lot is still unknown in Virology, residing in the realm of theory and speculation. It was mentioned to me that the most effective viruses are probably the ones that we don't know about. Indeed, it is in the viruses best interest to co-exist with their host, viruses that produce a rapid and wide-spread mortality are not doing themselves any favours. Is there a possibility of coexistence?
Like all life on earth viruses are driven by a desire to survive, this can be ensured by processes of reproduction and avoidance and they have developed incredibly sophisticated methods of ensuring these basic needs are met. Viruses have evolved over hundreds of millions of years - they are parasitic, not symbiotic - they can survive in various ways outside of the cell, though this is where they want to be. Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) will become latent following infection, however, once the virus is embedded you have 'a friend for life'. Only becoming active again when the immune system displays signs of being lowered - perhaps a trigger, such is the case with Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), another member of the Herpes family of viruses studied at the unit. Could this be seen as an attempt to flee, understanding the need to move on to a new, healthier host?
Hostile Takeover - In Vivo
Once viruses enter the cell their main aim is to replicate, some need to enter the nucleus to achieve this, such as HSV, some can complete this process in the cytoplasm of the cell such as HCV. They utilise most, if not all of the structures and processes within the cell to achieve their aim, the prognosis for the infected cell is not good. The process that is generally referred to as replication includes many stages - negotiations and appropriations - of the cells natural function but can be broken down into 3 main categories: entry, assembly and egress. Within this there are many further processes and strategies employed by different viruses: attachment, internalisaton, endocytosis, nuclear targeting, transcription, translation, genome replication, genome packaging, exocytosis and cell-to-cell spread.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) gains entry into liver cells using naturally occurring lipid particles inside of the body as a Trojan horse, tricking the cell to gain entry.
Following entry into the cell HCMV releases a 'first line' of proteins specifically designed to combat the cells primitive defenses to infection. The infected cell will try to warn neighbouring cells of the impending danger, HCMV is also capable of targeting the natural interferonproduced to carry out this early warning system.
Maximum Efficiency - The Highest Order
Like all complex cellular life, viruses have a rich evolutionary history, viruses studied at the unit cause human disease and can be classified into two main groups: DNA viruses and RNA viruses. Certain strains being traced back hundred of millions of years and having ancestors who have successfully infected many different species, HSV is one such virus. The HSV virus genome was successfully sequenced at the Virology Unit in Glasgow in the late 80's, it is a large, DNA virus that replicates in the nucleus of the cell. During this process new protein shells (capsids) must be created, which must then be filled with the newly replicated DNA strands. This process is called packaging. HSV replicates long strands of DNA calledconcatemers, which contain multiple copies of the same complete genome sequence joined together in a head to tail arrangement. During packaging this genetic information must be inserted into the procapsid (capsid before inclusion of DNA) and cleaved up into complete single genome strands. An incredibly powerful molecular motor forces the negatively charged particles arranged along the DNA strand inside the capsid through the portal - it is unclear how this system functions. The DNA is subsequently arranged within the capsid in such a way that it is filled to capacity. The resultant pressure caused by large quantities of negatively charged particles in close proximity is said to be equivalent to the pressure within 10 bottles of champagne.
Accident / Design
It is difficult to describe viral activity and characteristics without anthropomorphising, and this makes it somewhat difficult to think of viruses without these analogies. There is a history of debate on this issue which centre around the definition of life. Theoretically viruses may have developed concomitantly with cellular life on earth, their are theories that at this early stage things were not so clean cut. Lending strength to this simultaneous evolutionary theory is clearly identified presence of latent Retro Virus DNA embedded within the human genome. Do we have a viral predisposition? There is another evolutionary theory which talks of a 'RNA world' as the possible origins of life and the predecessor to our DNA based existence. It is speculated that RNA viruses such as HCV could be the ancient remnants of such a world.
During my first week in the unit viruses have been described to me in terms of having: needs, desires, specific familial behaviours and preemptive and defensive strategies for evasion and recognition. Obviously, there is an element of attempting to communicate very complex ideas in a way that is understandable - is there something more to this? As a positive sense RNA virus HCV is able to replicate very quickly upon entry into the cells cytoplasm, but it has an inability to proofread as it replicates leading to a high level of mutation in its progeny. This inability could be viewed as a defect in the nonstructural RNA, it could also be viewed as a highly evolved and amazingly effective viral defence mechanism - a viral intelligence? As in all scientific research, a lot is still unknown in Virology, residing in the realm of theory and speculation. It was mentioned to me that the most effective viruses are probably the ones that we don't know about. Indeed, it is in the viruses best interest to co-exist with their host, viruses that produce a rapid and wide-spread mortality are not doing themselves any favours. Is there a possibility of coexistence?
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