BioTech + Art

Biotechnology is definitely a topic I am not very familiar with, despite its popularity in the news and the advancements that have come with the science.  Learning of the different artists who dedicate much of their art and research to biology has broaden my interests greatly about the subject.  I’ve come to discover that many controversial topics that appear in the news are derived from biotechnology.  Joe Davis is an example of a famous artist who devotes much of his research to the effects of biological experimentation.  He is known for using ecology bacteria and female genitalia. Female genitalia in particular because he wanted to balance gender inequality since he believed women are the creators of life.



(Image: Joe Davis /LiveJournal)

The controversy about the experimentation on actual life is a topic that was clearly addressed in this week’s lectures. Personally, I believe it is a great advancement for the knowledge of life forms and science for both artists and scientists to experiment with the biology of life. For instance, the “glowing bunny” experiment was one that was greatly debated as being ethically acceptable or not. The experiment gave the ability to try to find new ways to find cancer cells within other life forms.


(Image: WordPress: Glowing Bunny)

A group of artists named “Symbiotica” worked in science labs to combine tissue engineering on semi-living objects with artwork, which created ethical controversy. One of their famous art pieces is called “Fish and Chips” which is a robotic arm that draws artwork using activity of goldfish neurons. I found this artwork to be very innovative and creative. The idea of using energy from an organism's neurons rather than electricity can be used for so many more helpful technological advances in the future.


(Image: Georgia Tech)

The article, “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications” by Ellen K. Levy addressed the advances artists have made in the scientific field that can be crucial for the developing of the fast-emerging life forms that we are experiences in our world today.  However, these artistic growths are occurring at a point in time when many people do not agree on the treatment of the animals or life being used for experiments. I feel many people are at odds with the opinion of whether art should be used from biotechnology mainly because the way media expresses the actions of artists in this science. It is portrayed in such a way where many people, and even some scientists, question their morals as a human being on this earth.

(This image is an art piece by Elon K. Levy that displayed how brain cells affect emotions)



In another article, “Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?”, the article addresses the three main types of biologists that exist; the three being: outlaws, hackers, and Victorian gentlemen scientists. The premise of this article was to clarify the three types of biologists that are praised in our society today, but with a bit of humor involved. I found it to be comical because all three of these types of “scientists” are believed to be the basis for how biology is developing.


Works Cited
Inkiblinki. "Stargenes on WordPress.com." Stargenes. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017. 
Levy, Ellen K. "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017. <https://instructure-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/account_30000000000529/attachments/1328658/Ellen_Levy_BioArt.pdf?response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22Ellen_Levy_BioArt.pdf%22%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27Ellen%255FLevy%255FBioArt.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJFNFXH2V2O7RPCAA%2F20170515%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20170515T053255Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=91b50845ba21a3f6f3a213d217387399ab5407fc655d23f4bee76b95b10c982e>. 
"Meanings of Participation: Outlaw Biology?" N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017. <https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=DA6E21BD5756431CA6EE31D8E21EBE22&CID=2CCA849154E1693107578E12557168F0&rd=1&h=393hxQ3N_kOez40ps2RD_BdRU4ctFvzg3_gQxoOp5xI&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2fwww.researchgate.net%2fpublication%2f44279739_Outlaw_hackers_victorian_amateurs_Diagnosing_public_participation_in_the_life_sciences_today&p=DevEx,5070.1>. 
"Memetician." My Batshit Crazy Brilliant Mad Scientist Long Lost Friend Joe Davis. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017. 
Smith, Jeffrey N. "Researchers Use Lab Cultures to Create Robotic ‘Semi-Living Artist’." Robotic Semi-Living Artists: MEART Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.




Comments

  1. UnknownMay 16, 2017 at 4:47 PM

    Hi,

    I enjoyed reading your commentary on your ideas about artists using biotechnology. I thought it was very interesting how you pointed out that with artists and scientists both experimenting with biotechnology, we can make strides in our understanding of different life forms. Though subject to controversy, I like how you appreciated that there is some parts of artists exploring BioArt that can actually impact science greatly in creating new advancements. The "Fish and Chips" art piece that you bring up is especially interesting because drawing upon the ability of goldfish neurons is very innovative and almost beyond many scientists' scope. It will be amazing to see how these pieces will transform daily life in the future if we allow it too.

    Ragini Bhattacharya

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NeuroScience + Art Blog

Image
The relationship between neuroscience and art seems to be very similar to me as medical technology and art, which I did a blog post about a few weeks ago. The topic of neuroscience, however, is especially interesting for me because I am currently in a course called “Philosophy of the MInd” this quarter.  I found it interesting to learn of topics such as consciousness, unconsciousness, and how drugs affect the way neuroscientists and artists have learned about the brain and the way it functions for us humans. (Image: Japanese-styled art inspired by neuroscience) Introduced in the first lecture video, Professor Vesna talks of the concept of consciousness, how it was founded, and the things associated with consciousness.  Consciousness is simple the state of being conscious, or I like to think it basically just means being aware that you are alive and functioning. Consciousness was rooted by great scientists, such as Franz Joseph Gall, Pierre Paul Broca, and Santiago Ramón y Ca
Read more

MedTech + Art

Image
Listening and reading of the different medical technologies and procedures I am familiar with hearing about on a daily basis, I was quite surprised to learn there is an artistic perspective behind the medical field.  For instance, dissection is one that is no stranger to the arts because both medicine and art are important for one another when viewing anatomy.  As stated by Professor Vesna, the Renaissance period was when art became most important for dissection.   (Image: Wikipedia/Anatomy) Artists could depict what was discovered through dissection by doctors or anatomists. According to Peter Tyson’s, “The Hippocratic Oath Today”, he mentions how the Hippocratic Oath states that doctors must “teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation”.  It is evident through the artwork of dissection and anatomy research that the next generation is learning from past discoveries about the body to further advance research of the body. The best example of this passing on of rese
Read more

Unit 1 Assignment

Image
Madilyn Nickles Desma9 Week 1 Blog Assignment In the article, “Toward a Third Culture: Being in between” by Victoria Vesna, the author discusses how the backgrounds of literary/philosophical studies and scientific concepts should be joined in a way to develop a stronger way of thinking for research about things humanity does not know.  The article gives a more opinionated and researched perspective about the topic of “two cultures”.  However, in the article, “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution” by C. P. Snow comes from a more personal perspective of the concept of “two cultures” in that the author discusses his personal life of being involved in the scientific research at Cambridge University, but being equally involved with friends who focused on literary.  The author discusses, much similarly to the first article, of how the gap between both the literary culture and scientific culture must be shortened or be rid of in order for our future intelligence to thrive.
Read more