Virus

After finishing the two plates, and reflecting on them, I realised that my project of evolution had now morphed more into the theme of a freak show and so I decided to play with this idea of the 'Freak Show'. My first immediate thought as associated with evolution is the development of new viruses and diseases that seem prevalent in today's society. I feel that viruses link intrinsically with the theme of the freak show, as people that carry viruses are often ostracised by society and although not thought to be freaks, can however be treated in this way. I then studied Hunter Cole's work on viruses under the microscope and was intruiged by the way in which something so awful could look so beautiful under a microscope. From Cole's images, I played around with some different textures, shapes and colours and produced the above piece using iridescent modelling paste in order to create a 'gross' texture. I experimented with shapes and colours that I like, as I was in effect creating my own virus and I used a kitchen sponge to a rough texture with the iridescent medium.