H5N1

NERVE THEORY TOM SHERMAN & BERNHARD LOIBNER

The H5N1 audio works were produced for radio broadcast on the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation by Nerve Theory in 2006. These broadcasts focused on the bird flu virus, H5N1, and the hysteria surrounding the inevitable global influenza pandemic—this was prior to the H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak in 2009. The broadcast used the idea of the evolving, mutating H5N1 virus as a launching pad for a series of statements about the world we live in, observing and describing media viruses and a whole spectrum of living, evolving ideas, including potential viral pandemics and issues of surveillance and the spread of state-sponsored paranoia.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Nerve Theory is the collaborative identity of artists Tom Sherman (Canada/USA) and Bernhard Loibner (Austria). Nerve Theory was founded in 1993 and remains active as a performance and recording duo.