is not immediately discernable to onlookers , creating the impression of witnessing a conversation without being able to follow its significance . This sequence of illumination is in fact based on the mating behavior of fireflies .
Entering the next room , visitors are again plunged into darkness , where the work Orphan Masks ( 2016 ) is situated . Unlike the illumination of the masks in Mating , Orphan Mask ‘ s LEDs are programmed to illuminate in fluctuating , ever-evolving patterns . A cellular automaton , an algorithm that produces complex , seemingly random patterns from simple , well-defined rules , was used to determine this pattern .
Continuing through darkened space , the visitor soon encounters Huyghe ’ s 2014 film De-extinction , screened on a HD monitor suspended diagonally in the room . The film was shot using both an advanced microscope and a camera with a macroscopic lens . De-extinction follows the journey of a camera through an enigmatic orange environment , populated with floating bodies of insects . This orange material is eventually recognizable as amber ; the encased creatures are microscopically enlarged , making details of their bodies , extremities and antennae visible in great detail .
The final room of the exhibition is also dark . During opening night , approximately 40 performers wearing lit LED masks moved throughout this room . The performers were in constant movement but did not interact with visitors or with each other . In effect , their behavior was reminiscent of a flock of animals or a swarm of fish . Huyghe later conceived of his event as a peformance work , Swarm , 2016 . On the back wall of the room hangs a framed lithograph by Kurt Schwitters , which Huyghe selected from the Sprengel Museum ’ s collection . Apart from being a gesture of homage , for Huyghe the lithograph envisaged the conceptual floor plan of his exhibition .
From here visitors exited into the room containing the dust-covered floor , returning in a circuitous motion to the beginning of the exhibition .
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