Sicheng Wang
Virtual Immunization Project -The crisis is an Evolutionary Carnival
虚拟免疫计划-危机是一场进化的狂欢。
Collaborate with Feng Xiong, Nick Bentz, Simi Gu, Lishen Ye.
Scientific Advisor:
Chao Shan（Ph.D., working at Wuhan Institute of Virology，Chinese Academy of Sciences）
Chengchi Fang （Ph.D.， working at Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences）
Projects
_ Respond to Feb. 24th Morning 2022
installation
_ Virtual Immunization Project 2021
video, music, 3D animation, VR, game
_ 2020 Fall, Threat 2020
video, music
_ Spring to Summer in NYC 2020
paintings
_ Quarantine Diary 日记 2020
paintings
_Memory Device2020
video, 3D animation, VR interactive
paintings
_Take the skies to travel, 2019
multichannel videos
_East Lake, 2019-2018
paintings
_Time is a river with no banks, 2018
installation, video
_Sunset of Baltimore, 2018-2017
paintings, installation, digital paintings, video
_Breaking down space, 2017-2016
paintings, installations
3D animation of Vaccines
mRNA Vaccine
Protein Subunit Vaccine
Inactivated Vaccine
Viral Vector Vaccine
Project Introduction：
项目简介：
Preface
前言：
To say that the COVID-19 pandemic had a far-reaching impact on our lives is a massive understatement. We have been under the influence of the epidemic since late 2019, causing us to reflect, examine and question the direction of societal progression. The rapid spread of the plague highlights the development of a global infrastructure. This apparatus not only unites humanity into a whole, but also forces people to intuitively experience the concept of community-as-shared-future. Unprecedented isolation has fully demonstrated the advantages of the Internet, virtual communities, and NFT technology, and has further promoted the large-scale acceptance of the remote collaboration model. However, with the development and distribution of vaccines, the competition over supply has continued to strain human morality. Has the world become more integrated or more divided? As artists faced with crises and contradictions, we ask ourselves: What can we do?
毫无疑问这次全球范围内的大瘟疫COVID-19将深远的影响和改变我们的生活。2019年低至今由疫情影响下的我们也不得不停下来反思、审视和质问我们当下的社会发展方向。此次瘟疫传播之快，凸显出基础设施全球一体化进程的发展。这一机制不光将全人类联系成为了一个整体同时也借由疫情让人直观体验“人类命运共同体”这一概念。史无前例的隔离将网络、虚拟社区、NFT技术等等互联网优势全面展现出来并推进了人类远程协作模式的大面积实践。然而随着疫苗的研发和分配而来的争吵问题又不断的刺痛着人类的道德。世界到底是更加一体化还是加剧了分裂？面对危机和矛盾作为艺术家的我们时常问自己：我们可以做些什么呢？
In early 2021, through my interests in biology and crypto art, I invited several fellow artists and friends to create the Virtual Immunization Project. I hope this work will have a positive impact on society and raise questions.
2021年初通过对于生命科学的兴趣和对于由加密艺术的好奇我邀请了上述的几位艺术家朋友们与我一起创作了虚拟免疫计划这一数字艺术作品。并希望通过这一作品对社会产生积极影响并提出一些问题。
Game
Project Name：Virtual Immunization Project
项目名称：虚拟免疫计划
Human beings are made up of chains of DNA working in collusion with each other. In this process, the agency of human beings is deprived; each individual becomes a different representation of their collective genome. DNA, through the translation of mRNA, transmits information and controls the assembling of living organisms. Homo sapiens are just one of these information compounds. Just as an avatar in a virtual world consists of a chain of ones and zeroes, humans are strings of biological genetic codes.
人类是一群DNA的共谋。在DNA的共谋行为中个人意志被剥夺，从而人类各个个体成为一个群体性DNA的不同表征。换而言之DNA作为信息的载体，通过mRNA的转译进行信息传递与控制组装生命体，而人类是其中一种信息化合物。犹如虚拟世界里的虚拟形象，是一串串生物基因代码。
China entered the third phase of clinical trials for mRNA vaccines in May 2021. When an mRNA vaccine enters human cells, it produces and displays the characteristic spike protein of the COVID-19 virus on the surface of the cell to trigger the immune system to produce antibodies. This vaccination is the result of precise research into the protein makeup of the COVID-19 virus, leading to the replication of hundreds of proteins on the surface of coronavirus molecules. It has become particularly important to study the structure of these key proteins and the structures of DNA and RNA that record protein structure information.
中国也在2021年五月进入mRNA疫苗的第三期临床试验。mRNA疫苗将进入人体细胞，利用细胞机制产生COVID-19表面特征性刺突蛋白，随后细胞在其表面显示刺突蛋白从而触发我们的免疫反应产生抗体。这一精准的接种免疫反应的基础是对冠状病毒表面的成百上千的蛋白质有精准的的研究且复制能力。而研究这些关键蛋白质的结构和记录蛋白质结构信息的DNA和RNA的结构就显得尤为重要。
With the help and support of scientific advisors Chao Shan and Chengchi Fang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, we have obtained data from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), a database of three-dimensional structural data of large biological molecules, and genetic research data models. Using the three-dimensional structural information of the coronavirus, we are creating artistic 3D virtual models of viruses, spike proteins, DNA and RNA, in order to launch the Virtual Immunization Project. In this project, we are using video, 3D modeling, installation art, sound art, and blockchain to both render the dynamic natural process of human immunity and point to the relationship between humans and viruses as one built not on pure confrontation, but on coevolution.
通过来自中科院的科学顾问单超、方成池的帮助与学术支持，我们获取到了开源生物蛋白质结构交流平台PDB的数据，和中科院遗传基因研究所的部分基因研究数据模型，根据病毒疫苗的相关学术信息由此建立病毒，刺突蛋白质，DNA和RNA等的三维虚拟模型。并启动虚拟疫苗计划。在虚拟疫苗计划中我们利用影像艺术，三维建模，装置，声音和加密技术来呈现人类与病毒免疫的动态过程, 并指出人类与病毒不光是对抗关系同时是协同进化的关系。
The intervention of modern medicine has greatly augmented the process of human natural selection. At the same time, human beings use technology to augment our own evolution. The machine enhances the body, and artificial intelligence enhances the brain. Every crisis is a driving force for evolution. The coronavirus pandemic has prompted breakthroughs in mRNA research and manifested great achievements in communication technology. Likewise, the practice of art is facing new challenges. How do we integrate with today’s technology, harness new media, and expand the boundaries of art? Through this catastrophe and challenge, our team is creating this piece in order to express our viewpoints on biological evolution, technological development, and artistic innovation.
现代医学的介入，人类自然选择的进程大大减缓。同时人类试图利用科技代替自身的进化。机械代替身体去进化，人工智能代替大脑去进化。每一场危机同时都是倒逼人类进化的动力。此次新冠大流行，推动的生命科学在mRNA研究上的突破的同时，展现了信息科技发展的伟大成果，我们艺术创作领域又面临着新的挑战。如何与当今科技结合并获取新的表达媒介和方式帮助我们扩展艺术的边界。在这场巨大危机与挑战下，我们团队用作品来表达我们对生物进化，科技发展和艺术创新的思考。
We intend to sell these ‘virtual vaccines’ on NFT marketplaces with the goal of donating the profits to public welfare projects responding to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this process, we are asking the following questions of the NFT medium: can we creatively transform digital wealth into tangible social value by funneling capital to those places in our society in need of urgent help? Can NFTs provide the artist with more opportunities to enact social change and better our society? Can NFTs help to expand the possibilities of social intervention and advocacy in the artist’s practice? Can the commodity value of art combine with positive changes in public welfare to bring new meaning into the artwork itself? We intend for this work to give our audience interesting answers and open up dialogues in order to discuss the meanings behind our project.
我们尝试将虚拟疫苗计划中的相关作品在区块链交易平台上进行售卖，并将此部分盈利捐助到公益项目中. 通过这个创作过程我们尝试讨论当下区块链与NFT市场可能存在的思考：在虚拟资产与货币价值暴涨的今天，我们是否可以通过创造性的方式将数字财富转化成实际的社会价值，给予我们社会中那些迫切需要帮助的地方去？一场又一场加密艺术的拍卖狂欢试图肯定了艺术家的智力劳动本身的同时是否给艺术家带来更多的机会参与到社会构建中去，去建立我们理想中的乌托邦？同时当代艺术不断扩充其媒介和表现形式，如何去扩充艺术的社会介入性，利用艺术的商品属性和公益行为是否能给创作本身带来新的意义？
为什么采用NFT技术，为什么是生命科学，为什么是虚拟艺术？为什么选择社会介入方式？ 为什么做公益？希望这个作品可以给观众一个有趣的答案，并开放讨论我们项目行为背后的意义。
Charity & Public Practice Statement
公益与公教部分：
This project is inspired by research pertaining to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. We hope to donate our profits from the sales of this work to public welfare. According to the commodity nature of the artwork and the technology of the blockchain platform, our digital artwork can receive money from each following transaction, which has a certain proportion of funds that continue to flow into the public welfare activities, so that this public welfare activity can also be developed into a long-term project. Witnessing the COVID-19 pandemic from both Wuhan and New York City, I plan to use profits from the artwork to support public welfare projects helping those in Wuhan and New York City who have been affected by the pandemic. As more funds flow into our project, we also want to support environmental protection projects like those helping to maintain the Yangtze River’s biosphere led by the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan.
此次的作品受启发于新冠疫情中的mRNA的研究. 我们希望将作品在网络平台上售卖的所得资金投递到公益事业中。根据艺术品的商品性质和区块链平台的技术，我们数字艺术品可以实现每一次的交易都有一定比例的资金持续流入公益活动中去，这样也可以将此次公益活动发展为持续性的项目。当公益项目能够进行，我们这个艺术项目也将正式完成，成为一个社会参与的艺术项目。作为首批受疫情影响的武汉人，后被困于纽约，我将计划首先主动开展武汉和纽约两地的针对疫情的公益项目，然后将随后的公益款项流向迫切需要它们的地方。同时如果有更多的资金流入我们的艺术公益项目，例如武汉中科院水生所主导的长江十年禁渔的环保项目等。
