Early in the 21st century, international trade disputes within the microchip industry threatened to upheaval its production. The risk of the chip’s shortage - of not having the tiny sliver of silicon that has become the governing breath of what we think and do - instigated global panic, and as a result, many smaller, local semiconductor manufacturers stepped in to fill the gap by developing their own bespoke microchip solutions.

 

Social media platforms Tiktok, TwitterX, and Instagrid simultaneously propelled the viral trend of microchip replication - where individuals began to recreate microchips at home and share their findings online. Most of this generation had suitable equipment and tools at home, given the post COVID-19 work-from-home revolution. This practice has become what we familiarly refer to today as “micro-modding.” 

This exhibition highlights pivotal moments of the microchip evolution from the past few decades. Through archives of the famous and familiar, including the TSMC World Fair 2040 and the controversial MicroContacts, and the overlooked, Flesh to Silicon : Body to Chip is an intermediary space that contemplates the conflicts of our current world. As tensions continue to rise between our technological giants and the underground black market, with every new invention both a cover and creator of a dangerous geopolitical flashpoint, this exhibition serves as a reminder of the beautifully haunting powers of the microchip.