Parasitic Ecosystems

Joana Moll will present her latest work '4004', which explores the devastating, yet relatively unexamined, impact of technology on biodiversity.

Joana Moll will present her latest work '4004', which explores the devastating, yet relatively unexamined, impact of technology on biodiversity. Drawing on previous projects and longstanding research, this new work from Joana Moll sets out to expose the links between the explosion of techno-capitalism, the acceleration of climate change and resulting decline of essential ecosystems. The project’s title, 4004 is taken from the name of the first commercial microprocessor, created 50 years ago in 1971, for the Intel Corporation. Heralded as the most advanced integrated circuit design ever undertaken, the Intel 4004, marked a new era in technological development.

Moll aims to establish a link between the exponential growth of the microprocessor and the decline in both number and diversity of species – in particular insects, who form an essential part of our ecological infrastructure and have been declining at alarming levels, with reports suggesting that a quarter of insects could be wiped out within just a decade. The work draws parallels between the internal anatomies and roles of microprocessors and insects, showing how both are small but key components of larger systems. The subtle but continuous replacement of the natural order by technological advancement, reflects not only on the cannibalisation of ecologies, but also on the problematics of visibly representing climate change.

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