life is... A BEAUTIFUL VIRUS

 

INTRODUCTION:
The following hyperlinks are all themed around the notion, use and simulation of small self-replicating executable programmes- the computer virus.  Some of the pieces comment on the loss of control, anarchy and danger whilst others highlight the visibility and aesthetic nature of the virus source code language. 

The virus is a highly active and communicational medium through the use of local and wide area networks. These networks provide the platform for the virus to distribute exact copies of itself.  It behaves as an intervention into a system, it interferes, replicates and propagates itself within the host machines and continually self automates actions, passing and sampling divulged personal information from one machine to another. It is a social and political tool.





LINKS:
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author			Joseph Nechvatal
title			The Computer virual Formula
Year			1991/1992
url			http://www.nechvatal.net/

info:
'The Computer virual Formula' is an early project by artist Joseph Nechvatal. The above project uses a virus source code to create a computer generated painting. Joseph Nechvatal employs the viral programs as artificial life applications to create paintings which are usually 'robot assisted'.  These paintings evolve and consume as artificial life and viral activity. 

related urls and further reading
The Computer Virus Project, a recent project by Joseph Nechvatal.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/MatthiasGroebel/jnech/virus2/virus20.html


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author			Jonas ?
title			DasVirus / The Virus
Year			?
url			http://www.dasvirus.textart.de/

translation-
DasVirus translation


info:
Unsure of the author of this site which asks on it's index page- 
'Wie kann ich mich optimal infizieren ?' or 'How can I infect myself optimally?'

This site encourages and tempts infection of your specific platform {pc & mac only}. There is no real virus here, only the illusion of the possibility. The index page encourages infection by entering into a password protected site. The password and user details are visible and obvious on the index page {password/user}. Once inside the infectious area , the piece of work transforms itself and shifts the emphasize onto artificial life and biological viral activity.


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author			Tara Bethune-Leamen
title			Virus Corp
year			2001
url			http://www.studioxx.org/coprods/tara/

info:
An online 'in-CORP-orated' virtual creature the 'Virus Corp' 'unleashes' itself as a symbolic virus onto chosen corporate website. This project responds to 'spread' of capitalistic global activity. 


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author			jodi - Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans
title			404
year			1997
url			http://404.jodi.org
related urls		http://jodi.org/			

info:	
Jodi are famously known for their projects that produce erratic desktop and machine behaviour. They present work which is incredibly convincing of viral activity and infection.  The chaotic cut 'n' paste re-sampled information and effects of Jodi's work are very similar to early viruses which entertained as they infected. There is also an obvious reference within Jodi's 404 project to the 'Good Times' email virus hoax.

Further analysis	http://twenteenthcentury.com/saul/jodi.htm			


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author			0100101110101101.org & epidemiC
title			biennale.py
year			2001
url			http://www.0100101110101101.org/home/biennale_py/index.html/		
			http://www.epidemic.ws/biannual.html

info:
The 'biennale.py', an art virus was created collaboratively between artist programmers EpidemiC & 0100101110101101.org, commissioned for the 49th Venice Biennale.

The 'biennale.py' is a self reproducing program and is apparently is the first virus to be written in the python programming language. As with all viruses, survival and replication are the main aims of biennale.py'. Biennale.py' was released 'into the wild'  {http://www.ntsecurity.net/Panda/Glosary.htm#INTHEWILD} to infect and survive however it is detectable by anti-virus software and can be quarantined & eradicated. Therefore the further rare this virus becomes 'in the wild' the higher it's monetary value will rise. Special cd roms which contained the virus were sold for around $1500.
How nice it would be to become infected by a piece of art work.


related urls and further reading
http://www.digitalcraft.org/index.php?artikel_id=294			



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author			epidemiC
title			bocconi.vbs
year			2002
url			http://www.epidemic.ws/bocconi/index.html		

info:
Another live virus by the EpidemiC group, the 'bocconi.vbs' brand virus propagates itself by sending itself to every email address as an attachment. It invites the users of the infected machines to visit the university site- . This visit creates a text document in ascii characters of the 'bocconi' logo. Each time the infected machine starts up it will be branded by the 'bocconi' logo. 

related urls	 
http://www.epidemic.ws/fg_e.html		
			

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author			epidemiC
title			love_letter 
year			2001
url			http://www.epidemiC.ws/dina_en.html		
			http://www.epidemiC.ws/.love.mp3	[audio]
			http://www.epidemiC.ws/.love.ram	[rm video]

info:
The most  memorable virus in recent times must has to be LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.VBS. It caused widespread infection by charming it's way into many systems. Disguised in an email, subject line of "I love you" prompted many curious users to infect themselves. EpidemiC re-appropriated and exposed the source code of this virus LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.txt.vbs as a reading by Franco Berardi Bifo philosopher and political activist at the Biennale in Bologna.



Further reading & related urls	
http://www.digitalcraft.org/index.php?artikel_id=244		

author			spyder
title			LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs
year			2000
source code		http://www.geocities.com/CyberC0mpany/VirSour/loveletter.htm		
			http://www.darkmanworldnet.home.ro/dfiles/virii_files/iluvu.html		
			
						
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author			Sneha Solanki
title			The Lovers
year			2001
url			http://electronicartist.net/the-lovers/index.html
		
info:		
An installation piece of my work which uses a variant of the early Cascade virus to 
manipulate and corrupt on screen text/information in ms dos through infection. The interface of classical symbolistic language becomes a deconstructed mutation of it's previous state over time until eventually the virus corrupts the system to its maximum capacity.


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2002