We’re delighted that our new version of A Cluster of 17 Cases is now online as part of the Contagion exhibition at Science Gallery Bengaluru in India.

During the first UK lockdown in 2020, Wellcome approached us about creating a new work in response to COVID-19 and the closure of cultural venues. We have created an interactive story that invites you to explore the corridors of the Metropole Hotel and discover what happened to some of the guests during a super spreading event.

The New York Times have described the work as “the scariest online house tour” which is “nerve-shredding”.

The work is free and takes about 15 minutes. It is available at https://nowtransmitting.com/exhibits/cluster-17-cases/

Background

During our time as Artists in Residence at the World Health Organization we discovered the story of a super spreading event for SARS at the Metropole Hotel in Hong Kong in 2003. We created an interactive installation around a model of the Metropole and this work is now on show at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave in the Netherlands, following presentations in New York and Hong Kong.

Both SARS and COVID-19 are coronaviruses and are transmitted in similar ways. The online work gives you a first hand experience of what it feels like when your life hinges on these invisible processes.