WEEK 6

-

BIOTECHNOLOGY + ART


VectorPot. “Biotechnology Icon Set Vector Image on Vectorstock.” VectorStock, 25 May 2016, www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/biotechnology-icon-set-vector-8967444. 


This week’s reading covered many interesting topics having to do with the ideas of biotechnology in our society. It also served as a unique perspective on this often and “most controversial topic” of this course due to the artistic lens applied in our lectures and readings (Vesna). 

While there were a variety of artistic pieces and topics discussed, the ideas surrounding the genetic engineering of DNA and animals was the topic I found to be most intriguing. 


“What Is Contemporary Art?” Escape Into Life, 2022, www.escapeintolife.com/essays/what-is-contemporary-art-mark-kerstetter/. 


One of these projects that I found interest in was about “Alba” the fluorescent bunny. Alba was an albino (without pigment) bunny that was genetically modified with a GFP gene found in jellyfish (Philipkoski). When exposed to a UV light, this gene gives off a bright green glow, and as a result, Alba the bunny glowed green (Young). 



Staff, Noema, et al. “GFP Bunny.” NOEMA, 26 June 2012, noemalab.eu/ideas/gfp-bunny/. 



She was created by French artist Eduardo Kac, who took part in this project with the hopes of creating a buzzing discussion around the topics of family life and genetic modification (CABI). Kac’s work, despite the fact that it was and is still highly debated in its ethics, did serve a purpose in generating conversation surrounding the pros and cons of genetic modification. Ellen Levy in her writings provided this week also discusses this controversy and purpose behind biotech art.


In her writing, Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications, Levy offered the perspective of how artists approach these often very controversial topics surrounding genetic modified organisms, and the act of genetically modifying organisms for artistic purposes (Levy). Towards the end of her writing, one her quotes particularly caught my attention. Levy highlights why biotechnology and art is significant in a climate where it is often controversial — “such research is important, because biotechnology is a place where political, economic, legal, and scientific interests meet, and artists can promote discussion about these issues” (Levy). Levy’s perspective served as a way to tie these ideas and concepts we learned this week together.







Works Cited

CABI. “Glowing Rabbit Glows No More.” Glowing Rabbit Glows No More, CABI, 13 Aug. 2002, www.cabi.org/agbiotechnet/news/1628. 

Levy, Ellen K. Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classification. 2022. 

Philipkoski, Kristen. “RIP: Alba, The Glowing Bunny.” Wired, Conde Nast, 12 Aug. 2002, www.wired.com/2002/08/rip-alba-the-glowing-bunny/. 

Vesna, Victoria. Biotech Intro New - Youtube. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvp924_pbgc. 

Young, Emma. “Mutant Bunny.” New Scientist, New Scientist, 22 Sept. 2000, www.newscientist.com/article/dn16-mutant-bunny/. 







Comments

  1. Megan RonanMay 14, 2022 at 5:41 PM

    Hey Alex! I found your blog really interesting and well done this week. I think you did a great job discussing the controversiality of Biotechnology more specifically with Alba the bunny. I personally don't think it's necessary for scientists to turn a bunny neon, but I also think it's important to learn about what the effects of genetic modification are. Great Job!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WEEK 4

-
Image
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY + ART When Professor Vesna first introduced the topic of the intersection of medical technology and art, the first thoughts that came to mind were about the creation of prosthetics and the world of plastic surgery. We learned in lectures this week a brief history of how plastic surgery emerged, and also how both prosthesis and plastic surgeries are becoming increasingly more prevalent in our modernizing society (Vesna).   Macrovector. “Download Medical Technology Isometric Icons Vector Illustration for Free.” Vecteezy , Vecteezy, 11 May 2021, www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/2415755-medical-technology-isometric-icons-vector-illustration. Plastic surgery is the epitome of the merging of medical technology and art. According to Professor Vesna, the beginnings of plastic surgery were results of war, dating back to about 4000 years ago (Vesna). The facial and head injuries resulting from chemical and physical destructive powers during WWI paved the way for the further ...
Read more

EVENT #2

-
Image
JESSICA IRISH'S THE MORTAL PLASTIK This past Thursday, I attended Jess Irish’s talk about her award-winning documentary, the Mortal Plastik . I really enjoyed this topic, her documentary, and the talk as a whole. All of the aspects of this hour long seminar were equally intriguing to me.   one of the opening scenes in the Mortal Plastik Jess Irish is a currently a professor at the New School in New York City, which is a part of Parsons. She is an “award-winning artist, designer and writer who makes lyrical nonfiction films and cross-genre media” (Faculty). She has created various documentaries, however the Mortal Plastik focused on the environmental harm that plastic is causing in our world today.   Jess Irish while speaking about her documentary a scene from the Mortal Plastik  a toxic plant photo overlayed with all the chemicals used The talk started out with the viewing of the documentary, and then transitioned into Irish talking about the backstory and origins of her ...
Read more

WEEK 3

-
Image
ROBOTICS + ART The world we live in today is immensely controlled by technology, and we have reached a point where “technological innovations have become necessary” but also “culture, ideals and aspirations of human societies have shaped how those civilizations have created, benefited from, and been impeded by, technology” (Wardynski). The content from this week highlighted the evolution of perception of technology and industrialization (when combined with art). I found it fascinating to learn about how we have evolved from a society where technology was not seen in a   positive manner to encouraging new innovations everyday — for example, robots and artificial intelligence are now becoming more normalized into our society where they were considered to be unusual or weird before.   “Is Your Perception of Technology Holding You Back?” Les Olson Company , 13 May 2021, lesolson.com/blog/is-your-perception-of-technology-holding-your-business-back/. One person that was highlighted ...
Read more