Public Dominion is an art installation by Artist Jesse Farrenkopf,
Founder of Murmuration Inc.
SUMMARY
A century after the creation of the icon known as Mickey Mouse, and 95 years since his national debut in Steamboat Willie, the cartoon has entered the public domain. This milestone serves as the foundation for this installation, which sets the tone for reflection of a surreal future—one that feels both imagined and uncomfortably plausible.
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Just 14 years after artist Ub Iwerks hand-drew Mickey as a symbol of joy and childhood wonder, the character was transformed into a functional military product designed for children to wear as protection— a far cry from his original purpose. Created in 1942, the original “Mickey Mouse Gas Mask” emerged from the intertwined
Video By Noah Rosecrans
influence of government and capitalism, each amplifying the other’s reach and power in a complex dance of control and exploitation. This stark transformation of the iconic character underscores the disturbing intersection of innocence and harsh reality. It serves as a reminder of how quickly even the purest symbols can be reshaped by fear, necessity, and the drive to capitalize, resulting in a loss of innocence. The world remains
Projected imagery of conflicts throughout history are reflected in the eyes of the gas mask.
in constant conflict—a force more timeless than Mickey Mouse himself. Public Dominion delves into themes of chaos, innocence, and culture through the interplay of nostalgia, video art, sound, and large-scale sculpture.
Upon entering the space, visitors are transported back in time to a 1940's WWII era living room.
More about this piece.
The Mickey Mouse gas mask, originally conceived by Walt Disney during World War II, required designers to disfigure Mickey’s innocent face to accommodate its functionality - carbon filter, exhale valve, and large round glass eyes. Approved for production, the product forced society to accept this new look - still as a loyal trustworthy companion. This transformation is deeply rooted in historical absurdity. These masks, designed to comfort fear, symbolize the grotesque fusion of innocence and
Walt Disney presenting his Mickey Gas Mask concept to the
Chief of Chemical Warfare Service, 1942.
propaganda. This distorted figure confronts viewers with tension between recognition and distortion, nostalgia and discomfort, beckoning the question: how far are we willing to go to accept a new reality?
The looming structure stands 13 feet tall in it's original space in Newburgh, NY.
Set within the space as a centerpiece, this 13-foot idol looms over viewers, its imposing presence both awe-inspiring and unsettling. Amongst the rubble, its massive scale becomes the only major departure from a scene that could have been plucked directly from the past, blurring the line between historical reality and dystopian imagination. The gasmask lenses project visuals from conflicts
spanning history, including those of today. Its presence resonates with modern times, as we navigate pandemics, war, and uncertainty, gazing into the eyes of a once-loyal childhood figure now marred by design, and surrounded by rubble and despair.
Today, many audiences are captivated by apocalyptic films and television, marveling at fictional wastelands and dystopian realities that often feel uncomfortably plausible. Many of these scenes are rooted in realistic predictions, yet we dismiss them as fantasy. Now, imagine living at the turn of the 20th century, before either World War or the creation of Mickey Mouse. Humanity had never witnessed the magnitude of WW1 in terms of global scale and firepower—let alone the even greater devastation of WW2. In the early 1900s, could anyone have envisioned an object as bizarre as an iconic mouse-faced gasmask, born of such devastating conflict? At the time, this would
A child being photographed for advertising of the 'child-friendly' Mickey Mouse gas mask.
have seemed like an artifact from an unimaginable future. Despite the mask's exaggerated scale in this recreation, it reflects a moment in history when this “apocalyptic” future became a reality. To glimpse into this strange device then, would be to confront a chilling symbol of a man-made dystopian future yet to come. It’s quite easy for new generations who have not lived through that time to forget and dismiss such events as unlikely, or overlook the fragility of global peace, making us question what the future holds.
The title Dominion—meaning complete sovereign ownership and control—speaks on the complexities of ownership, a root cause of human conflict and war whilst pertaining to the historic release of cartoons usage rights. After nearly a century, the public now collectively owns the original version of Mickey Mouse, a symbol once tightly controlled and fiercely protected. Public Dominion exposes the fragility of innocence when confronted with external forces—a world shaped by fear, propaganda, and power—revealing the darker side of cultural idolization.
Only a little over 1000 of these masks were produced before discontinuation.
TIMELAPSE OF THE INSTALLATION
