Week 6: BioTech + Art

'Riddle of Life' by Joe Davis with the message: 'I am the riddle of life. Know me and you will know yourself.'

What interests me the most in the topic discussed this week is how genetic manipulation are used to create BioArt that in turn, encourages discussion about the consequences of genetic engineering.

While humans have been experimenting with genomes for centuries through selective breeding, direct manipulation of DNA is a relatively new field. Since then, scientists have been assembling different types of DNA, creating transgenic animals and genetically modified organisms (GMO). Although GMO production has greatly alleviated world hunger, its consequences have been the center of a heated debate ever since. Artists are able to bring these controversies to light through BioArt.

One of such artists is Eduardo Kac, who first coined the term BioArt. Kac is a pioneer in many genres but his most publicized works center around the usage and critique of biotechnology. His first transgenic artwork, 'Genesis', is a particularly thought-provoking piece. It explores the relationship between biology, computer science, and the ethics behind these sciences. Kac created an 'artist's gene' by translating a quote from Genesis 1:26 in the bible (about human's superiority over nature) into Morse Code and DNA base pairs. They are implanted and displayed into an E.coli bacterium. Viewers are able to shine an UV light on the bacterium to cause mutation in its genes, as well as the biblical quote. This piece is especially interesting since the act of changing it stems from the viewer's disagreement with the quote but at the same time, it only reaffirms the quote's meaning.

Genesis

Similar to Kac, Joe Davis has also experimented on genetic engineering in his work, from genetically engineering silk worm to spin metallic gold to encoding a map of the Milky Way into the ear of a mouse. The most intriguing of all is titled 'Malus Eccelsia', a project to insert a DNA-encoded version of Wikipedia into an apple and create a literal living tree of knowledge. Since the apple was referred to the forbidden fruit in the bible and the U.S. government restricts unregulated eating of genetically altered plants, the mutated apple would literally be twice forbidden. This project, just like Davis's career as an Artist Scientist, is a perfect example of the collaboration between arts and sciences.

Transgenic silk from genetically modified silk worms

Since BioArt is still a relatively new field, I look forward to seeing how it would develop in the future and its impact on society's view on biotechnology.

Citations

"Bioart: An Introduction." Phys.org. Phys.org, 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. 

Caputo, Joseph. "Creating Art with Genes and Bacteria." Elsevier Connect. Elsevier, 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Design By Sequence." Genetics and Culture: From Molecular Music to Transgenic Art. UCLA Design|Media Arts 98T, 24 Apr. 2003. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. 

Gibbs, W. Wayt. "Art as a Form of Life." Scientific American. Scientific American, 01 Apr. 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. 

House, Patrick. "Object of Interest: The Twice-Forbidden Fruit." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 13 May 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. 

Kac, Eduardo. "GENESIS." Kac Web. Eduardo Kac, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. 

Lynch, Lisa. "Trans-Genesis: An Interview with Eduardo Kac." Kac Web. Eduardo Kac, Spring 2003. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. 

Osthoff, Simone. "Eduardo Kac's Genesis: Biotechnology Between the Verbal, the Visual, the Auditory, and the Tactile." Kac Web. Eduardo Kac, Oct. 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.