Philippe Parreno: La levadura y el anfitrión (The Yeast and The Host)

A floating foil balloon in the shape of an angel fish was gently moved by our arrival. More helium sea creatures drifted lazily through the dark gallery and its episodic beams of light. A few dozen folding chairs were scattered in front of a massive projection and sheets of colourful printer paper peppered the floor. In the centre of the room was a floor-to-ceiling glass case containing an array of technologies that frankly seemed too elaborate for what appeared to be happening: the projection of various films, one at a time. Also present were: a grand piano, a rotary phone, a stereoscopic projection of an analog clock, plus the Yeast and the Host the titular characters in this work by an artist for whom exhibition is the medium.

THE YEAST

Philippe Parreno’s yeast are cared for by a bacteriological computer that monitors their activity and feeding schedule based on scripted and environmental variations. Many of the exhibition’s