2026

Parasite is an immersive VR installation that uses the metaphor of parasitism to explore how algorithmic media systems shape desire, attention, and the feeling of autonomy.  The participant wears a VR headset covered by an alien-like mask, with biometric sensors attached to their bodies and connected to the VR environment. The mask appears to attach to the face and transform the participant into a host rather than a user.  Through VR experiments, physical prototyping, and user feedback, this project explores invasive intimacy, how something that begins as beneficial and pleasurable can slowly become invasive, shaping our behavior and reducing our sense of autonomy without us fully realizing it.