Olga Majcen: Exposed to virus and fashion The project is thematically based on HIV, that plague of the modern world, a controversial virus that has become, somewhat similarly to syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases, a symbol of debauchery and decadence, but also of openness, explorative spirit, and intelligence. Like tuberculosis, which was in its time (when it was still incurable) considered the affliction of intellectuals and bohemians, and thus practically “in fashion”, HIV – in the sense of a latent infection that may not be visible and yet can be fatal – is somehow “in” today, particularly among the population of alternative sexual preferences. Silvio Vujicic has used this fact while merging his interests for fashion on the one hand and clothing as such on the other. In his project entitled Exposed to Virus and Fashion, he has dealt with the topic of HIV in a witty, yet analytic way. The artist has decided to illustrate the working of the HIV virus in human body by transferring it into a digital form. In other words, software that controls the weaving machinery would be infected with a new code, capable of modifying the fabric in a way that is analogous to the effect of HIV on human organism. The textile would thus be destroyed according to an algorithmic pattern, with the purpose of representing a second skin (since black spots appearing on the skin are the first symptoms of AIDS), as well as hybrid forms of clothing following the artist’s idea. Such a shift in the static quality of the fabric, which would lose some of its strength and quality, may open up new possibilities in designing clothing items.