Japanese media artist Noboru Tsubaki’s work Cochineal is a machine to patrol cyber-terrorism. The large fiberglass insect lures visitors into its “web”.
They step inside the spaceship, wearing a suit embedded with sensors, and physically feel the attack of virus just as if they were insects on their skin. Visitors can destroy the worm by pushing a button. But, just like in the real world, simply killing it does not solve the problem as the more and more worms appear, begging to be exterminated.
“With Cochineal, I wish to realistically represent the potential harm of a computer virus, or worm. We tend to adopt technological innovations without considering their long-term implications”, says Tsubaki. “and we still choose to depend upon them, though they undoubtedly put us at risk. Through Cochineal, I wish to put forth a more realistic representation of these threats”.
Details in Derivative.