Biotechnology + Art

Joe Davis
http://trialx.com/curetalk/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2011/04/gcelebrities/Joe_Davis-2.jp

This week's topic showed me a world completely unknown to me. It all started with Joe Davis who was one of the earliest pioneers of bio-art. I found it unbelievable that he created a device that could translate light into sound to study micro-organisms. His sheer creativity allowed scientists to understand and identify micro-organisms in a completely new way.

Microvenus
http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/images_genetics_culture/gc_wk_03/davis_j/microvenus.gif

Joe's micro-Venus project was both revolutionary and very far-reaching. I really liked how he chose the micro-Venus symbol stating that space was filled with men's phallic symbols and that women are the creators. He wanted to bring a gender balance to space itself through the use of bio-art. If that's not a revolutionary vision then I don't know what is.

Eduardo Kac's Fluorescent Bunny
http://www.ekac.org/albagreen.jpeg

Other scientists like such as Eduardo Kac and the scientists from the Symbiotica project, created art and processes that would teach and influence the world in many ways. Eduardo's discovery of the fluorescent GFP gene would further help doctors in identifying the movements and effects of medications on cancer cells and other treatments. Symbiotica created an entire curriculum for individuals who wanted to understand bio-art leading to projects such as the modified butterflies by Martha de Mendez. These scientists used their art to influence more than just culture, but life itself.

Orlan's Blanket
http://www.creative-mapping.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/o-Biopsy-8.jpg

My favorite piece was Orlan's blanket which used diamond-shaped patches of skin which were created to be different colors in a petri dish as a symbol of cultural cross-breeding. The way she presented the project truly blew me away. All the artists in this week lecture truly took their work to the highest social level. They presented such ethically, socially, and culturally controversial material that the world had to stand up and take notice. They changed the world.

Citations:
1. Joe Davis 2. Digital image. TrialX. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. <http://trialx.com/curetalk/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2011/04/gcelebrities/Joe_Davis-2.jp>.
2. Microvenus. Digital image. Viewing Space. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. <http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/images_genetics_culture/gc_wk_03/davis_j/microvenus.gif>.
3. Albagreen. Digital image. EKAC. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ekac.org/albagreen.jpeg>.
4. Biopsy 8. Digital image. Creative-Mapping. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. <http://www.creative-mapping.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/o-Biopsy-8.jpg>.
5. "Joe Davis: Genetics and Culture." Joe Davis: Genetics and Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. <http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w03/davis_joe.htm>.
6. "BIO ART." BIO ART. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ekac.org/transgenicindex.html>.