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Week Six: Art and Biotech




Art and the connection to the field of biotechnology has been increasing in the past decade. More and more artists are using biotech means as a way to push the boundaries of what is considered art and or science. The use of biotech in art has also been something that is used in conversation about what is ethical or unethical. In her first lecture Professor Vesna talks about Joe Davis who is considered the pioneer of bio art. Something that he warns about are the issues that people need to look out for when taking art into the biotech realm. These things he warns about are what are able to keep it ethical and less subject to controversy. Davis’ main arguments were that there needed to be consultation between professionals deeming the art as necessary or serving a purpose or having the “public respect and appreciation for the emotional and cognitive life of transgenic animals” (Vesna, Lecture). One example of an art project that as questioned to be ethical or not was the GFP Bunny named Alba which was the “creation of a free fluorescent rabbit” (Kac). This project was the center of some controversy as it was said be be frivolous by many scientists. 


There are also groups that form such as Symbiotica which provide permanent spaces for artists looking to work in biotechnology lab settings. One example of an art project they created was the Fish and Chips project which was a robotic arm that was run on the activity of goldfish neurons. This is an example of using animals as a piece to creating art through biotechnology.


There is also the question of ethics when regarding artists work in biotechnology of plants and living bacteria rather than just animals. Ellen K Levy in her work “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications” she discusses the importance os artists working in this field and that there is “real value to artists investigating biology and evolution through synthetic means” (Levy 4). This idea that she pushes seems to suggest that there are even less limits in these fields when artists are brought into to work with them. 


References
Kac, E. (n.d.). GFP BUNNY. Retrieved May 11, 2019, from http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor

Levy, Ellen. “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications.”

SymbioticA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2019, from http://www.symbiotica.uwa.edu.au/

Vesna, V. (2019). Art and Biotechnology Part I. [Video Lecture]. Retrieved from https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/1067208/pages/unit-2-view?module_item_id=26086622.

Vesna, V. (2019). Art and Biotechnology Part II. [Video Lecture]. Retrieved from https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/1067208/pages/unit-2-view?module_item_id=26086622.


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