Staphyloculus (or the paradox of site specificity of virtual realities), 2017

Theo Triantafyllidis

Virtual Reality Experience

HTC Vive with Audio Strap, VR Ready PC

Dimensions: Vive Room Scale (9x12ft)

Sound Design: Holly Waxwing

On Site team: Jenny Rodenhouse, Eli Joveta, Lander

Additional Photogrammetry: Régis Boissenin

Commissioned by NRW-Forum Dusseldorf, DE

A Virtual Reality experience that attempts to recreate the first known outbreak of Polywobbly Fervenitis. According to live footage found on the site in Joshua Tree, California, the depicted artist attempted to setup a complete VR rig under scorching sunlight. As suggested by the investigation, when the headset was exposed to the desert sun, its display had a chemical reaction that was somehow translated into a digital signal that started a computer virus. The computer virus, that had some kind of primal Artificial Intelligence, managed to mutate itself into a strain of bacteria, now known as Staphyloculus, that spreads through the use of Virtual Reality headsets. In this first incident, the artist was infected by the microorganism and after hosting it for a while, brought it back to Los Angeles and started the spread of Polywobbly Fervenitis. The ability of this sentient microorganism to freely transform from computer virus to real world bacteria has astounded the scientific community that is anxiously looking for a cure.