THE MIND CONTROLLING PARASITES, 2019

Belgium

ARBA- ESA

I was interested by one information from natural life. Find out lot of being, which have to be parasite for part or full their life. But there are not just normal parasite, they are special because they control mind of their host and can make whatever they want. In many of times that means commit suicide or protect the parasite until end. There are lot of different kinds, from virus through fungus, worms to wasp. But keep calm, just one can infect human, Toxoplasmosis (30-60% population) and it can not control us, just make some issue. 

I chosed three of them with some interesting visual difference which I can use in visualisation. 

First is Green-banded broodsac. Beautiful and disgusting creature. When a snail eats some birds poop, it can eat egg of this worm as well. So then it will start to grow inside, to be exact, inside of snails eyes. And when is worm grown, it control snail to climb higher on a tree because normally it would prefer dark areas. And there birds can easily spots them and eat them. Here ends life cycle of worm, it lays eggs in bird and then it start with poop again.

Second is Zombie Ant Fungus, it infect through spores. Soon is fungus enough strong it makes ant to stop working and climb up stems, fungus grows and soon ant’s body erupt bursting spores to infect another ants.

And last one is Horse Hair worm infect grasshoppers and crickets. They ate eggs of worm like larvas and live and grow continuously. In the meantime worm eating poor insect from inside and in one point worm take control and make cricket jump to the water and commit suicide. There worm leave it and will make eggs.

I was thinking what it would be, if these parasites can infect and control human minds as well. I took three of them and try to create this situation. Also I imagined some mimics which can show  and support visualization of process which is happening during control.

(ceramic)