Unit 6
Biotech and Art




This week's lecture focused on biotechnologies and its unique relationship with art. However, this relationship is not a new one and in fact it dates back hundreds of years to when farmers and animal breeders used artificial selection to modify their desired plant or animal species. Artificial selection is the intentional reproduction of individuals in species of populations that have desirable traits.

http://nikisperou.com/images/3.NikiChimeraSeries.JPG

Living tissue 

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/images/lines/le_dogs2.gif

artificial selection

Kelty makes a great point regarding science and its domestication in the common household. The Bulletproof Skin project is a great example of this idea because it was planned and started in a normal house. This bioart project caught the eyes of many because it does exactly what the name states it does- block bullets. This reinforced laboratory created human skin is mixed with one of nature’s most powerful substances- spider silk. The results were so amazing that the modified skin was able to stop bullets.

http://1vze7o2h8a2b2tyahl3i0t68.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/03181-220x300.jpg
(Bullet proof skin made from living tissue and natural substances found in nature)

Although i find the mix between biotechnology and art fascinating, there's something about it that also scares me. The fact that life is used arbitrarily without consent or even the moral issues of containing/manipulating life leaves me questioning it. At the same time, I strongly believe that the altering of DNA and living tissues lies at the central core of biotechnology; It has allowed for a positive amplification of medicine, research, and general biology.

Sources: 

Kelty, Chris. "meanings of participation: Outlaw Biology?." Outlaws, Hackers, Victorian Gentlemen, Web. 8 May. 2016.

Pasko, Jessica M. "Bio-artists use science to create art" USA today. Web. 8 May. 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 Bioart Pt1" YouTube. UC online, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 May 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 Bioart Pt2" YouTube. UC online, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 May 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 Bioart Pt3" YouTube. UC online, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 May 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 Bioart Pt5" YouTube. UC online, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 May 2016.