Dominique Koch’s work has always sought to redefine the interactions between art and reality. Content drawn from widely differing areas of research converges on the instant of its mediation, creating unlikely encounters but also, often, revealing urgent concerns that normally pass unnoticed amid the ceaseless flow of information. In Perpetual Operator, Dominique Koch makes the biological possibility of the potential immortality of the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii the starting point of a complex artistic exploration. This species of jellyfish can regenerate identical cells and hence continuously rejuvenate itself before ageing again. This concept is examined in a laboratory-like installation as a metaphor for human social systems, especially the capitalist economic model, which repeatedly manages to regenerate itself despite being on the brink of collapse. In the video Perpetual Operator, discussions on this subject were held with sociologist Maurizio Lazzarato as well as Marxist writer and philosopher Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi.
— Sabine Rusterholz
