"Viral Human" is an artwork within MiRNArte App created to evoke the historical origins of the Festa del Redentore in Venice through a historiographical parallel between the 1575-77 plague in Venice and the Covid-19 pandemic. The visitor's path is accessible through a mobile application conceived as a "time capsule" that travels between two historical epochs, which, 447 years apart, faced a long health emergency threatening the safety and survival of their respective communities. This comparison made it possible to create a "bridging narrative" between two seemingly different historical moments, yet surprisingly similar in their attempts to halt the spread of the virus. Containment measures such as quarantine and social distancing, now well-established, were rigorously imposed and applied four centuries ago.
The protagonist of the work is the Venetian notary Rocco Benedetti, who describes the events of one of the most terrible plague epidemics in Venetian history. The design of the sound space plays a central role in the installation, thanks to the use of binaural audio technology, which gives the user the sensation of being truly present in the story. The "Viral Human" installation unfolds like a treasure hunt in 9 locations throughout the lagoon city, guided by geolocated map coordinates tracing the route to follow. Visitors will encounter mysterious characters, including pizzigamorti (plague doctors), apothecaries, and many others, who will accompany them into a late Renaissance Venice grappling with deep issues such as faith, health, and death.
The core of my research lies in the idea that art and technology can reprogram human needs and establish a new form of relationship between the viewer and the historical, political, and social context of the surrounding reality.
The mobile app paradigm directs the aesthetic reflection toward the centrality of devices as extensions of identity and the body: placing public participation at the center, where the audience, rather than being mere observers, becomes active participants in a virtual space rich with memories and narratives. In this “posthuman” dimension, the aesthetic experience becomes an interstice between the visitor’s virtual/private space (smartphone) and the public/social space of the physical location with its memories, meanings, imagery, and relationships, making the artwork interactive and open. In doing so, the artwork engages in a dialogue with the audience, generating unconscious meanings and new truths.
The work was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the Ugo and Olga Levi Foundation, the "Benedetto Marcello" Conservatory, the MUVE, and the city of Venice. The same app (available for iOS and Android) also hosted 68 works of visual arts and contemporary music selected through the "Public Art and the Metaverse" call for entries, judged by a panel of esteemed members of the sector – including the renowned artist Fabrizio Plessi, composer and conductor Carlo Boccadoro, director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice Riccardo Caldura, director of the "Benedetto Marcello" Conservatory of Music Roberto Gottipavero, Mario Airò and Daria Baiocchi. Each artist was invited to establish a dialogue between their work and a specific site in the city.
How it Works:
The app developed for smartphone aims to deliver content to digital users while physically navigating the streets of Venice. The standard usage flow is as follows:
On the map of ancient Venice from 1500, 9 pins correspond to the stages the users must reach along their journey, located at places where major events related to the plague occurred.
Once a stage is selected, the user can navigate towards it using the GPS and their smartphone's default navigator.
Upon reaching the point of interest, the app geolocates the user and unlocks the content.
Users can listen to audio narratives that connect the 1500 plague with the contemporary Covid epidemic.
To enhance accessibility, especially for users who cannot visit Venice or move through its narrow streets, the app allows the user to choose to unlock the content of each stop without having to physically go there.
Platform and Features:
Platforms:
Android
iOS
User Interface:
Smartphone
Tablet
Multilingual:
Italian
English
2D animated graphics
High-quality illustrations
Binaural audio
Geolocation and navigation
The interface is thoroughly designed to adapt to all screen sizes, managing the notch, even in "island" versions of the iPhone 14 Pro. Special attention has been given to the audio in the application, recorded binaurally by skilled artists. Wearing headphones is recommended for a more immersive experience, and textual descriptions are provided to improve content accessibility.
Art and Augmented Reality:
One of the main features of MiRNArte is the ability for users to physically travel through the streets of Venice and interact with geolocated digital content—a characteristic of augmented reality seamlessly blended with a digital world, an artistic metaverse.
