leahnDESMA9: Week 6 BioTech + Art

BioArt either goes into the cellular tissue level directly and/or constitutes collaboration with scientists and scientific imaging.

Joe Davis, who aims to connect unrelated things, synthesized DNA and inserted it into genomes of living bacteria. As a bio artist, he used audio microscope to image particular living cells while simultaneously listening to their greatly amplified and species-specific micro acoustic signatures. E coli responded to jazz music by pulsating to stressful sound frequencies. I found this particularly fascinating because I just watched a video of cells “dancing” rhythmically to the base of songs in my LS1 class.

Outnumbered

(Butterfly wings with holes)

"In Outnumbered I portray bacteria in different contexts. Bacteria grown in petri dishes were photographed, scanned, digitally manipulated, transferred onto paper and further manipulated," Levy explains. "Then I applied generative growth algorithms that caused the image to proliferate further. When happy with the results, I fixed the image on the computer." Ellen K. Levy presents a perfect intersection of Biotechnology and Art through her use of art to manipulate science, and vice versa. Her mechanism and manipulation of material to interact and overlay create BioArt.

Art and Biology are also combined in Marta de Menezes’ work on butterflies. She altered the butterfly’s wing pattern to simultaneously create art and life. She artistically changed the biological structure of the living organism, which quickly disappeared from nature due to evolutionary processes. Her art was literally alive and had a lifespan – the lifespan of the butterfly, which would never be seen again after its death. This is a very symbolic representation of the advancements in BioArt effecting living organisms and whether that is a good direction. Butterflies undergo metamorphosis, like BioArt changes, but the holes and inevitable death of the creature also symbolize ‘holes’ in Menezes’ attempt to change nature. Who are we to change nature? What is even ours/who are we if 90% of each of us isn’t actually human – but bacteria?

Victimless Leather

Conservative groups question the use of transgenic technologies and tissue culturing from a moral standpoint. However, many BioArt projects deal with the manipulation of cells and not whole organisms. Victimless Leather creates "an actualized possibility of wearing ‘leather' without killing an animal”. It raises questions about the exploitation of other living beings and problematizes the relationship to non-human animals and the use of animal products in scientific processes. It is part of the Tissue Culture & Art Project where artists grow victimless, semi-living garments. “This artistically grown garment confronts people with the moral implications of wearing parts of dead animals for protective and aesthetic reasons and confronts notions of relationships with manipulated living systems.”

Alba

Eduardo Katz used French scientist’s work as art piece (transgenic art), which he named Alba. Through zygote microinjection, magnified genetic glowing properties of DNA were inserted into the rabbit’s fertilized egg cells, which replicated throughout its body and turned it fluorescent.

Dyes and fluorescents tag genes on proteins, which provide animal models to study biological processes and diseases. The different colors show contrasting striations under telescopes, which allow scientists to use art to further their understanding of cells and bacterial structures/behavior. The technology of the microscopes and photography produce amazing images. This is really interesting because I love photography and I got to look at different dyes cells in my Anatomy and Physiology class. I never realized how much art could influence scientific understanding, but all of the illustrations in textbooks make a huge difference.

However, my favorite topics were about Kathy High and George Gessert because their forms of BioArt just make me feel warm and fuzzy. Art evokes emotion, and through Kathy’s relationship with the rats she evoked empathy through reducing stress. George was a bioartist who began as a painter but began breading and modifying plants. Hybrid flowers are at the intersection of aesthetic art and science/genetics and produce beautiful species of plants.