Unit 6: BioTech and Art
This week, this class connects the similarities between biotechnology and art. The lecture videos introduced me to a lot of new concepts and ideas that I was unfamiliar with before. I had never put thought into how things like bacteria or genetically enhanced organisms can be seen as art in any way, but the lecture videos introduced me to this new idea. I learned that a lot of biotech art may cross ethical boundaries thus tend to be controversial topics.
In the lecture videos, Victoria Vesna mentions how artist Marta de Menezes used Symbiotica to modify the wing patterns of live butterflies. This modification was a source of controversy because by going into the cellular structured to design the wing, she is creating an art in nature. Doing this created holes in the butterfly's wings, which horrified people due to morals.
Vesna also lectures on how rats are genetically modified and studied because rats and humans are more closely related than one would think. Despite rats often being treated as disgusting nuisances and unimportant, scientists often study these creatures to help invent something that could help improve the health of humans. These creatures are studied so much that some are genetically engineered solely for studying them. However, there has been a lot of evidence that genetically modified rats often suffer due to poor health, a huge source of controversy.
ORLAN, a French artist is known for her eccentric and scandalous biological art pieces, for performing plastic surgery on herself various times and digitally removing her own skin. Her piece of the harlequin coat is composed of an assemblage of skin pieces of of many colors which are made in the lab from various races, symbolizing cultural cross breeding, and hybridization. This proved to be wildly controversial for many reasons, such as if the skin donors would still be owners of the donated skin cells, and if skins of different colors can be cultivated. The point of this art piece is to challenge the different cultural ideas of beauty seen throughout the media.
Overall, it this week's topic was interesting to learn more about. The combination of biotechnology and art to create artistic pieces is often seen more as controversial than art due to the ethical and moral debates that stem from the creation of those art pieces, although it is incredible to think of how far humans have advanced in the scientific field.
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| Genetically modified butterfly wing with holes, made by Marta de Menezes. |
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| Difference between lab rats and genetically modified rats |
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| ORLAN's Harlequin Coat art piece. |
Overall, it this week's topic was interesting to learn more about. The combination of biotechnology and art to create artistic pieces is often seen more as controversial than art due to the ethical and moral debates that stem from the creation of those art pieces, although it is incredible to think of how far humans have advanced in the scientific field.
Sources
Leddy, Siobhan. “How ORLAN Turned Plastic Surgery into Feminist Art.” Artsy, 7 Aug. 2017, www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-70-body-modification-artist-orlan-reinventing.
Miranda, Carolina A. “Weird Science: Biotechnology as Art Form -.” ARTnews, 4 Mar. 2013, www.artnews.com/2013/03/18/biotechnology-as-art-form/.
Taconic Biosciences. “Genetically Engineered Animal Models.” Rodent Research Models, 15 Feb. 2019, www.taconic.com/genetically-engineered-animal-models/.
Vesna, Victoria. “5 Bioart pt1 1280x720.” YouTube, 18 Sept. 2013, youtu.be/PaThVnA1kyg.
Vesna, Victoria. “5 BioArt pt2.” YouTube, 17 May 2012, youtu.be/MdSt-Hjyi2I?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7.
Vesna, Victoria. “5 BioArt pt3.” YouTube, 17 May 2012, youtu.be/3EpD3np1S2g?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7.
Vesna, Victoria. “5 BioArt pt4.” YouTube, 17 May 2012, youtu.be/2qSc72u9KhI?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7.
Vesna, Victoria. “5 BioArt pt5.” YouTube, 17 May 2012, youtu.be/z7zHIdsFS3A?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7.
“What Is Biotechnology?” BIO, www.bio.org/what-biotechnology.
Interesting post! While I was researching about biotechnology and art, I also read an article about the artist, Orlan, who regards herself as a bio-art. I was pretty shocked as I was reading about her because she performed various plastic surgery on herself just to make artworks. I think bio-art is very futuristic and has many potentials in art field!
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