May 12, 2019 Week 6: Biotechnology and Art

May 12, 2019 

Week 6: Biotechnology and Art

Stelarc's Third Ear

           The whole inspiration of biotechnology and art stems around the delight of many artists to "de-mystify science," as the essay on Outlaw Biology so well puts it. According to Ellen Levy, the concept of transgenic art was revolutionized in the 1970's by Carl Woese, who first classified the three kingdoms of bacteria. His work influenced Joe Davis's creation of the Microvenus, Stelarc's Third Ear, and many others. Years later, Woese's discoveries still influence the modern landscape of art with the founding of Symbiotica in 2000 by Oron Catts, Miranda Grounds, and Stuart Bent. 

Joe Davis's Microvenus

Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr's Victimless Leather

           Oron Catts is arguably the most controversial founder of the organization. He is best known for his collaboration with Ionat Zurr in creating Victimless Leather, which debuted in MOMA New York in 2004. Another of his pieces that drew much criticism was his Semi-Living Steak, lab grown meat consisting of frog cells cultivated in a bioreactor. This meat was cooked and served at diners at a museum in France, while the frog that supplied the cells looked on quietly from a tank. Projects like these open up a world of critique, raising questions about the nature of life. Adam Zenetski, the first international resident of Symbiotica, says, "Science and industrial organisms, created for specific utilization for the furtherance of comprehension, are also expressions of aesthetic choices." 

Oron Catts's Semi-Living Steak

           The realm of art is changing. Bioartists not only have a perspective on their own work, but also formulate their own opinions on the ethical issues it raises. Slowly, this new medium of artistic expression is distinguishing itself from regular art. Unsurprisingly, technology has created different standards for these bioartists, bringing on much scrutiny. For example, in 2004 Steve Kurtz was arrested by the FBI on suspicion of bioterrorism after calling 911 to report that his wife had passed.

https://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/16/art_in_a_time_of_terror (Video of Steve Kurtz's arrest) 

           Society is torn between evaluating these artists on the aesthetic quality of their work or the processes involved in getting to the end result. Some people see Eduardo Kac's fluorescent bunny, Alba, as a breakthrough in both the field of art and science, but others view it as detrimental and contradictory to the value of life assigned to such creatures. These artists will not stop redefining the definition of art, so either society will have to adopt to these changes, or there will forever be a clash between humanity and biotechnology. 

Eduardo Kac's fluorescent bunny Alba

References

“Art in a Time of Terror: Acclaimed Art Professor Steve Kurtz on How He Became a ‘Bioterrorism’ Suspect After His Wife Died in Her Sleep.” Democracy Now!, 30 June 2004, www.democracynow.org/2008/6/16/art_in_a_time_of_terror.

Miah, Andy. “Bioart Is Changing the World.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Feb. 2012, www.huffpost.com/entry/bioart-is-changing-the-wo_b_1133330?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMdAlAMoIot8n-TdkatZWpDSPosjerA0pHXZIm5xxhCmpse0T6-IKQps5xHLdcJSVXjXPLQwVa-wZ-waV4B8rTMAk-LBdyg52Oo2hkt2KSS8MsnTeCKPfg1lX7idXEpCoHHa8cluWhdwpkVZN7saN8ygBZsrpP1I1tFDSykEMVty.

Eskin, Blake. “Fluorescent Bunny.” Building the Bioluminescent Bunny, www.ekac.org/artnews2001.html.

Miranda, Carolina A. “Weird Science: Biotechnology as Art Form -.” ARTnews, 4 Mar. 2013, www.artnews.com/2013/03/18/biotechnology-as-art-form/

Vesna, Victoria, narr. “BioTech Art Lectures I-V.” N.p., Web. 12 May 2019.

Levy, Ellen. "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications." Context Providers, 275-299, 2011, Intellect Press, Bristol and University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Accessed on 12 May 2019. 

N.A., N.A., "Meanings on Participation: Outlaw Biology?" University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Accessed on 12 May 2019. 

Steralc. Third Ear. Photograph. 17 Aug. 2008. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/stelarc-ear-arm-art/index.html

Davis, Joe. Mircovenus. Photograph. 11 Sept. 2004. http://geneticsandculture.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w03/davis_microvenus.htm

Catts, Oron. Victimless Leather. Photograph. 22 Nov. 2005. http://lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/tca/vl/

Catts, Oron. Semi-living Steak. Photograph. 29 Jan. 2011. http://lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/tca/semi-living-steak/

Kac, Eduardo. Alba. Photograph. 24 Mar. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LSJVD0m1Mg