Week 6 Blog
Week 6 Blog
This weeks material required an extensive thought process to see the connection between biotechnology and art, but after watching the lectures and reviewing the wealth of projects and examples, I think I could come to the agreement that biotechnology can qualify as a form of art expression, it is just so new and so different from traditional art forms that it becomes a new kind of category. This ushers in a time of change and makes many uncomfortable to see the stretching of biology by human manipulation into a public statement. Context for this paradigm shift was recognized by Chris Kelty, in his statement that these kinds of novel artists have left the “era of very small communities of biologists that regulated themselves” to having to navigating federal laws restricting experimentation. Ethical questions are very much in focus when it comes to these art forms.
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| www.newscientist.com/article/dn16-mutant-bunny/. |
This is what intrigued me the most from the weeks material, the ethics of biological manipulation my man. This is exemplified by the case of the Transgenic artist, Eduardo Kac. Kac devised a GFP bunny, meaning he used a fluorescent modified protein injection into a fertilized rabbit egg cell that grew into his own creation named, “Alba”.
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| www.biofutures.io/project/art/art4.html.
Yet, Eduardo’s practice of “Transgenic art” using genetic engineering stirred up some controversy, with animal rights activists and scientists using the protein in cancer research both dismissing the project as necessary or hurtful.
Bioart is very interesting in this case when it calls into question personal morals and mutation, some bioart can be aesthetic and bring no moral qualms. Mel Chin’s “Revival Field” qualifies renewed ecology as a form of art, and I have to say I agree that life is quite the beautiful medium.
melchin.org/oeuvre/revival-field.
Sources:
“Biofutures: Owning Body Parts and Information.” Biofutures: Owning Body Parts and Information: Biology: Case Study: Nexia Spider Goats, www.biofutures.io/project/art/art4.html.
Chin, Mel. "Revival Field." Revival Field – mel chin. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017. <http:// melchin.org/oeuvre/revival-field>.
“GFP BUNNY.” NATURAL HISTORY OF THE ENIGMA, www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html.
“Mutant Bunny.” New Scientist, New Scientist, www.newscientist.com/article/dn16-mutant-bunny/.
“Outlaw Biology.” UCLA Magazine, magazine.ucla.edu/features/outlaw-biology/.
Uconlineprogram. "5 bioart pt1 1280x720." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaThVnA1kyg>.
Uconlineprogram. "5 BioArt pt4." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 14 May 2017. <https:// www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&v=2qSc72u9KhI>.
Uconlineprogram. "5 BioArt pt5." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 14 May 2017. <https:// www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&v=z7zHIdsFS3A>.
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Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteWe have similar interests when it comes to this weeks topic of biotechnology and art. I really liked your summary because it gave me a better understanding of where this artform lays on a map. Also I like your example of the GFP bunny because it is frequently mentioned in research articles of biotechnology with live organisms. Prior to your blog, my stance was that it is important for the work of biotechnology and art to have a purpose to prove itself, but Mel Chin's piece is kinda cool and I will probably look more into his work!
Galen