Disclaimer, this piece is an executable .exe file that must be downloaded and only works on Windows computers
The file will take over your pc for about 10 minutes to tell it's story and then will undo all changes
Mark Fingerhut, Peter Burr, Forma, 2017
Descent does something which very few pieces, especially digital do; it takes control away from the user in a meaningful and tangible way. By using code from real computer viruses and malware, Mark Fingerhut, Peter Burr, and Forma have created a story that unfolds on what is normally a space of absolute control. The piece calls back to dance of death paintings and tells a story of the black plague in a new and engaging way. Something about the way the story unfolds across our screen makes it extra emotionally impactful. Descent takes our most modern of spaces and transforms it into a landscape of past horrors, and doesn't let you look away. The lack of control leaves the viewer powerless in the face of the suffering that plays out on their screens in front of them, and then, all too soon, and not soon enough, its over. The program removes all traces of itself but the image remains in the viewers mind, like a memory of a past event that never existed.