ENwandu-Section D-Looking Outwards-02

 

‘Malwarez’ is a series of visualizations of worms, viruses, trojans and spyware code. The project is made possible through the development of a program by Alex Dragulescu, which allows him to track the API calls, memory addresses and other subroutines of the disassembled code. The program analyzes the disassembled code; mapping their frequency, grouping and density input into the algorithm, which then grows these virtual 3D organisms. My understanding of the algorithm is limited, but I think the patterns and rhythms recorded are what influence the organism, making each one unique. I truly admire the creativity behind such a project: Who thinks of  modelling a computer virus in 3D, and actually does it? Additionally, his projects are a true integration of art and technology, and in some ways, moves past that. The Malwarez project, in the most literal sense reveals the artistic potential of technology. The project is admirable because it kind of forces the audience to move past the ideology focusing on the ‘art of technology’ into the realm of technology as art, and vice versa.

His projects span multiple computational domains, so I suppose the algorithms involve mimic the complexity of the work he is doing as a designer, programmer, and visual artist. Malwarez gives these invisible coded threats a face, while also providing captivating visuals for things no one wants to deal with.