In the lecture, Professor Vesna mentions how certain individuals will perceive the definition of bio and art differently. The definition I found most interesting was the one including animals and bioart and how the animals are used in this field along with the ethical implications for artists interfering with the genetic structure of these natural systems.
Joe Davis was certainly an interesting figure in our time but his development of ideas using biotech and art influenced my understanding of the week's topic. His format of thinking and perceiving the world truly is what I consider "thinking outside the box" as he tried to connect ideas that had the least connection.
NOVA PBS Official. Scientist? Artist. Pirate! Who Is Joe Davis? 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GkZt00Qics.
One of these early experiments relates to the definition of biotech and art which includes animals as part of the equation. Not only that but he also incorporates the other definitions of biotech and art in his work such as working at the cellular level. An example is "The Twice Forbidden Fruit", where he synthesized a DNA-encoded version of the English Wikipedia into an apple, essentially creating the "tree of knowledge".
Skeptic, The Ethical. “The Tree of Knowledge Obfuscation.” The Ethical Skeptic, 3 Nov. 2009, https://theethicalskeptic.com/2009/11/02/the-tree-of-knowledge-obfuscation/.
Another artist that influence my understanding of this week's artist was Marta De Menezes. Marta's first biological artwork was modifying the wing of live butterflies. This artist seems to fit into the definition of biotech and art that includes animals and interfering with the genetic material but with this, it pushed an ethical dilemma scientists questioned. Her biological artwork was truly one of kind as it was genetically designing the wings of butterflies and essentially creating art from nature. Some though did witness the true horror of holes being created in the wings. This was a moment where the issues of being ethical as a scientist and also as an artist are in question.
Bioarte, el impulso cultural de la ciencia. 30 Oct. 2013, https://culturacolectiva.com/arte/bioarte-el-impulso-cultural-de-la-ciencia/.
References:
“Art Goes under the Microscope.” The Lantern, 13 Jan. 2003, https://www.thelantern.com/2003/01/art-goes-under-the-microscope/.
House, Patrick. “Object of Interest: The Twice-Forbidden Fruit.” The New Yorker, 13 May 2014, http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/object-of-interest-the-twice-forbidden-fruit.
Marta de Menezes. https://martademenezes.com/. Accessed 6 May 2022.
Hi Ariana! First, amazing post! I love that you focused on the more ethical debates surrounding biotech and art as those were the parts of this week's module that I really took an interest to as well. I wonder how you feel about some of these ethical debates; do you think that there are some ethical sacrifices that can be made in the name of art and technology or do you think that we should be completely leaving life to exist on its own? Where do you think that we should draw the line, that is, what is actually ethical and what is not? There are so many ways to "think outside of the box" as you mentioned, so I wonder what you think would be positive versus negative thinking. Great work!
I was fortunate in attending the L*A*S*E*R event "Transition Regimes: Culture of Media Art 1" which had the guest speakers, Tanya Toft Ag and Mogens Jacobsen. Medialab AAU Aalborg. L * A * S * E * R Aalborg University DAY 1 . 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXAsZv5HKN8. Medialab AAU Aalborg. L * A * S * E * R Aalborg University DAY 1 . 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXAsZv5HKN8. Tonya Toft Ag: Tanya is a curator, researcher, writer, and lecturer who looks into the trajectories of media arts and urban change. In the event, she questioned many ideas and perspectives which truly influence and challenged my mindset as they were questions I would have not ever considered. She brings new definitions of what art and technology could look like with the human development aspect of urbanization. Not only that as our world is growing into the spectrum of smart, innovative, technological, rationalized futures, she believes we should also be c...
This week, all topics that we've been discussing since day 1 are brought together in the concept of space. This chapter is overall fascinating to me as I, since I was young, loved learning about space and the wonders that are beyond our solar system. From the starting ideas and exploring of astronomy, Copernicus brings the push to study space which is now one of the main focuses in today's time. The only difference is the innovation of technology and art that allows us to further explore. “Key Events in Astronomy Timeline.” Timetoast Timelines, https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/key-events-in-astronomy-9041f05d-8127-418c-9cce-5638639f50f7. Accessed 26 May 2022. Early Space History The beginning of space history, was something truly interesting and mind blowing. With the competition to enter space between high ranked nations, USA and Soviet Union, along with creating NASA in 1958 in order to continue this competing effort, this has turned into th...
I was able to attend the final event this quarter that featured amazing artists along with our professor Victoria Vesna where there was a discussion on the horse zodiac. There were particularly two artists that caught my eye despite having a wonderful interaction with all as they shared intriguing stories and experiences. Maryam Razi Maryam is from Iran and found that she had a great interest in the zodiac horse as having these meetings and events, which I will soon bring up, all connect with culture, well-being, and so much between human and animal. She hosted a special event that involved having dinner at a beautiful garden around 8pm. There was about 15 guest and most of the individuals that attended were a high-profile artist in the area. Her duty was to go out shopping to purchase the fish that was then created for the first meal of the dinner party. First Course Meal for Dinner Party: "Baked Fish Fillet on a Green Silky Round Bed" by Maryam Razi Two concepts brou...
Hi Ariana! First, amazing post! I love that you focused on the more ethical debates surrounding biotech and art as those were the parts of this week's module that I really took an interest to as well. I wonder how you feel about some of these ethical debates; do you think that there are some ethical sacrifices that can be made in the name of art and technology or do you think that we should be completely leaving life to exist on its own? Where do you think that we should draw the line, that is, what is actually ethical and what is not? There are so many ways to "think outside of the box" as you mentioned, so I wonder what you think would be positive versus negative thinking. Great work!
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