Week 6: BioTech + Art

My understanding of biotech starts from the art works like books and movies. I remembered the talk with friends about series of biotech companies, such as Umbrella Corporation of Resident Evil after watching the movie series when I was young. Interestingly, the biotech companies all act as villains and particularly exert themselves in research and development of biotech productions such as biology welfares or some genetic transformation injectant that they use to threat the world.

Like Umbrella Corp. of Resident Evil, fictional biotech companies
created and developed bio-weapons like virus to threaten the world.

Although I thought those crazy biotechnologists characters in artistic works were created for artistic and dramatic purpose, after learning today’s class, I recognized that, in reality, biotech is still a shocking and amazing science, just like professor in the lecture video summarized, especially applied to art creation by artists’ hands. The most impressive artist for me from the lecture is Joe Davis. I am astonished by the continuous thrust of unconventional ideas of Joe Davis—“the unstable isotope that you can’t quite predict.”(Rebeca) In a sense, all of Davis’ scientific projects are driven by his desire to experience sensory oddities. His unique embrace of both art and science makes it hard to categorize what he’s doing, and wonder if it even if it can or should be categorized. (Rebecca) Joe Davis’ brainstorm and projects raises me to the thought of Ruth’s question of the definition and value of artistic media and technologies. I thought his research just explores the limits of what is possible in technologically sophisticated art and media, both from an artistic and a biotech viewpoint. One of the comments on Joe Davis’ scientific and artistic creation value that I agree is “It might not have advanced science in a conventional way, but it would have been striking to behold.”(Dailygalaxy.com) I think that effect fulfill the artistic media’s value.

An example of BioArt, made with bacteria expressing 8 different colors of fluorescent proteins

Another concern about “BioArt,” the art practice where humans work with live tissues, bacteria, living organisms, and life processes, is the large amount of debate over the related topics such as moral principals. (Wikipedia) Just as Eduardo Kac claimed in an interview that the announcement of Alba’s death by lab is “in order to put an end to a two-year, unwelcome barrage of media attention.”(Kristen) Since the birth of GFP bunny, criticize and debate over the usage of artistic creation by biotech never stops. It reminds me that when first cloned animal Dolly was given birth, the clone technology received great focus both positive and negative. Especially when the clone is connected with human beings, criticize and debate over moral principals and ethics clearly reject the possibility of it happening. According to US state legislation, “fifteen states have laws pertaining to human cloning. The issue was first addressed by California legislature, which banned reproductive cloning, or cloning to initiate a pregnancy, in 1997.”(NCSL)

However, in my opinion everything has its own boundary. The development of biotechnology indeed helps scientists advance in their research to improve people’s life. Starting from a materialism angle, matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all phenomena, including mental phenomena and consciousness, are the result of material interactions (Wikipedia). My answer to Ruth West’s first question might be yes. In my opinion, since artists usually want to use the most effective issues or forms as medium to create most expressive works, because of the complicated nature of life itself, it can certainly be an expressive medium of art, or even better in producing greater values.

Reference:

Sato, Rebecca. "The Brilliantly Weird World of MIT’s 'Mad' Scientist." Dailygalaxy.com. 10 Mar. 2008. Web.

<http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/03/the-brilliantly.html>.

"BioArt." Wikipedia. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioArt>.

Philipkoski, Kristen. "RIP: Alba, the Glowing Bunny." Wired. Web.

<http://archive.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2002/08/54399?currentPage=all>.

"Human Cloning Laws." NCSL. 2008. Web.

<http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/human-cloning-laws.aspx>.

"Materialism." Wikipedia. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism>.