Grey Goo: Fear of Entropy

2021
single channel video, HD, 12:19

in collaboration with: Adrián Hernández Nájera, Amelia Criollo Calvo, Inés Sroczyñski Merino, Karla Garduño García, León Meléndez Cuéllar, Maria Maafs, Montserrat López, Montserrat Nava Cuahutle, Raquel Reyes Galindo
sound design: Andy MacArthur

Grey Goo is an experimental documentary that addresses nanobiotechnologies and their influence on the human body. The fictional grey goo scenario refers to a process where out of control nanobots reduce all material matter to individual atoms effectively dissolving everything on Earth. Although this is physically impossible, within the body, nanotechnologies may cross boundaries between organs and create all sorts of havoc as yet unknown to the discipline of nano-toxicology.

Utilising an audiovisual mixing instrument developed in Max MSP, the image and sound were recorded live while digitally disintegrating the video and audio. The work distorts human forms and voices and questions the role of nanobiotechnologies in how we conceive of the biological body — physiologically, culturally and politically.

This work was commissioned by UNAM TV and screened at El Aleph: Festival de Arte y Ciencia, Mexico City, and its development was supported through the ANAT IDEATE programme 2020.

Hear an excerpt from an interview with Radio Adelaide 2020.