week 6: Biotech + Art

In this weeks lecture we learned about biotechnology and the hybrid that scientists are creating between animals. I found this week to be extremely interesting as I had taken a biotechnology class in high school. My class focused on the scientific aspect rather than the art aspect and I never considered the two to be connected. With biotechnology there comes a lot of issues including the debate of morals and ethics. There is a large controversy over artists using animals as test subjects and genetically modifying them. Artists have entered into these laboratories and work directly with biologists, neuroscientists, geneticists and nanotechnologists to create their own type of artwork.

Joe Davis walked into a laboratory of MIT in 1982 and immediately made an impact in the world of bioart. He already had an idea of how genomes could contribute to art he just needed someone to teach him how to synthesize DNA in order to modify organisms on a molecular level. He was almost immediately considered crazy and people were hesitant to help him. He looked at the use of high voltage electricity and space bound signals. He then drew up plans for channeling lightening bolts into pulsed laser of unparalleled laser energy into power and sculptures that would change colors.

Eduardo Kac is responsible for creating a fluorescent bunny. The bunny whom he named Alba was an albino bunny that had genes from a fluorescent jellyfish inserted. Kac considers Alba transgenic art which is a new art form that he created based on the use of genetic engineering to transfer natural or synthetic genes to an organism. Alba was created by green fluorescent protein (GFP). With the aid of GFP, researchers have further developed ways to watch processes that were previously invisible, such as the development of nerve cells in the brain or how cancer cells spread.

Works Cited:

CellPressNews. “Bioart: An Introduction.” EurekAlert!, 23 Nov. 2015, www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/cp-bai112315.php.

Elsevier. “Creating Art with Genes and Bacteria.” Elsevier Connect, www.elsevier.com/connect/creating-art-with-genes-and-bacteria.

Festival, Chicago Humanities. “Eduardo Kac: Transgenic Artist.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LSJVD0m1Mg.

Haridy, Rich. “Art in the Age of Ones and Zeros: BioArt.” New Atlas - New Technology & Science News, New Atlas, 17 Mar. 2017, newatlas.com/art-ones-and-zeros-bioart/48391/.

Philipkoski, Kristen. “RIP: Alba, the Glowing Bunny.” Wired, Conde Nast, 4 June 2017, www.wired.com/2002/08/rip-alba-the-glowing-bunny/.

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week 9: Space + Art

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