World War III is an environmental installation for museums or public insitutions delving into themes of biopolitics, artificial intelligence and genetic manipulation.
The project features a laboratory that blends into the exhibition space architecture. Inside this laboratory, a dynamic micro-system composed of smart water, protein jellies, and mosquito larvae gives life to a number of UV reactive mosquitoes.
By simulating an invisible biological warfare where mosquitoes “attack” the audience, the installation metaphorically addresses how institutions can violate personal boundaries in search of control.
Once the mosquitoes complete their life cycle, their bodies are arranged on walls and pedestals in formations reminiscent of military platoons or air-force squadrons. This visual representation underscores themes of militarization and control inherent in biopolitical discourse.
World War III aims to raise awareness about the criticality of our current political structures and the delicate relationship between humans and the environment. It challenges viewers to reconsider their understanding of sovereignty, power dynamics, and ecological sustainability.
Mosquitoes are the quintessential survivors of evolution: although nearly fifty percent do not survive their first day of life there are an estimated 100 trillion mosquitoes worldwide, grouped into 3,500 species. Despite their tiny size, mosquitoes are the deadliest animal in the world to humans due to a number of diseases that infected females unwittingly transmit through their saliva, including malaria, West Nile virus, Zika, yellow fever, dengue and various forms of encephalitis.
Around one million people die each year as a result, and around half the world’s population is at risk of infection.
The vast majority of these cases occur in the so-called global south, but as the ecological crisis progresses, mosquitoes carrying the disease are starting to spread to European and North American countries. While this is indeed a serious issue and threat, Western news coverage often takes on sensationalist tendencies and rhetoric that uses terms like ‘invasion’ to describe both human and non-human migration.
The World Mosquito Program (WMP), funded by entities including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to combat diseases like dengue and Zika by releasing millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in urban areas, primarily in South America and Asia. These mosquitoes are infected with the Wolbachia bacterium, which reduces their ability to transmit viruses or reproduce effectively. Despite initial promising results, such as a reported 94-97% reduction in dengue incidence in treated Colombian cities, there has been an unprecedented surge in dengue cases across the Americas and some Asian countries. This raises questions about the program’s effectiveness and potential unintended consequences.
In Brazil alone, dengue infections reached a record high of over 2.5 million cases by April 2024, with 923 deaths. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported that South America is experiencing its worst dengue epidemic ever, with a significant increase in infection rates compared to previous years. While there is no direct correlation between the release of genetically modified mosquitoes and the rise in dengue cases, independent studies are needed to fully understand the impact of these interventions. Concerns have also been raised about possible unforeseen effects on mosquito populations and disease transmission dynamics.
Parallel efforts include Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquito program and DARPA’s “Insect Allies” project aimed at protecting agriculture through genetic modifications. However, these initiatives face scrutiny due to potential risks associated with genetic manipulation and its implications for human health and environmental stability. Critics argue that without thorough regulation and public debate, such technologies could lead to unintended harmful consequences or even be repurposed for biological warfare. The need for independent research and careful consideration of ethical implications is emphasized to ensure that these scientific advancements do not backfire on humanity.
In 2024, world debt exceeded the world’s GDP by 3.3 times ($313 thousand MLD): thanks to financial leverage and debt speculation, for every single dollar, euro etc.. earned on the planet, finance has already created and spent 3,3.
In a political sense, the term “capitalism” refers to those state systems that place “capital” (income, property, etc.) at the center of constitutional protection, effectively transforming democracy into plutocracy.
From a (paradoxal) anthropological point of view, it almost seems that it is not man who manages money, but rather money that manages man.
This inversion of control suggests that financial systems have taken on a life of their own, dictating human behavior and societal structures in ways that often escape conscious regulation. With these assumptions, one must go in search of the great absentee in this equation: politics.
Once a central force in shaping economic and social landscapes, politics has been transformed into a specter—a ghostly presence overshadowed by the omnipotence of market forces.
In contemporary society, financial markets operate with such autonomy and complexity that they appear to function independently of human intervention. High-frequency trading algorithms execute transactions at speeds beyond human comprehension, while global capital flows transcend national borders with little regard for local political contexts. This dynamic creates a scenario where traditional political mechanisms struggle to exert influence over economic realities. The state, once the arbiter of economic policy and protector of public welfare, finds itself increasingly subservient to the dictates of capital.
This transformation raises critical questions about sovereignty and governance in the modern era. If politics has become a mere executor of market imperatives—prioritizing capital accumulation over democratic accountability—what does this mean for the future of society? The displacement of political agency by financial logic suggests a shift towards plutocracy, where wealth concentration undermines egalitarian principles. To address these challenges, there is an urgent need to reimagine political frameworks that can reclaim agency from market forces and restore balance between economic efficiency and social equity.
WWIII aims to highlight the consequences of these macro-dynamics by unveiling the progress of what can be considered a third world war: a silent war that disappears by overexposure and is based on deception, where capital subtly and steadily brainwash collective consciousness, in order to destroy the essential and produce the superfluous. War has transcended being the “continuation of politics by other means” and has become the very essence or premise of politics, in full accord with the fundamental principle of Sun Tzu’s Art of War: capturing intact the enemy is better than exterminating it.
Genetic technologies and advanced artificial intelligence have the potential to unleash unprecedented and incomprehensible power, making them difficult to control. The line between a monumental leap in human awareness and the brink of extinction is alarmingly thin. This precarious balance underscores the urgent need for vigilance and ethical considerations in their development and deployment.
The focus of the WWIII project is to raise awareness about the critical nature of our current political structures and the delicate relationship between humans and the environment. By highlighting these interconnected issues, the project aims to provoke thought and inspire action towards more sustainable and equitable systems.
Within the context of the global north, this environmental installation serves both as a warning and an exhortation. It acts like a natural medicine, delivering a sharp sting that awakens consciousness—much like emerging from a coma or experiencing the first sensations after general anesthesia. Jeremy Rifkin’s ideas on empathy emphasize that only through recognizing our shared vulnerabilities can we navigate these complex dynamics effectively. The installation seeks to jolt viewers into recognizing their role within these intricate webs of interaction, encouraging them to engage actively in shaping a more balanced future.
Jacopo Mazzetti
2006/2009
Dissertation project
Brera Fine Arts Academy
Milan