The Intermingling of Biotechnology and Art by Anubhav Chandla

 The Intermingling of Biotechnology and Art

Biotechnology is the intersection of numerous scientific disciplines and essentially alters life-like organisms in an effort to progress in society. With the rise of biotechnology, there has been a rising interest in artists joining research efforts as well as products of their own. One of the main mediums includes “Live Exhibits” which have been showcased all across the world including the The Museum of Modern Art in New York. For example, one artist curated the “Victimless Leather” exhibit, in which a jacket was made using mouse tissue encapsulated in an environmentally stable glass ball (Delgado 2). To ensure that these works are artistically enjoyable and relevant, it is critical for artists to understand preservation techniques of genes and other modalities such as mutations to execute their projects (Ramirez 3) successfully. 

Figure 1: "Victimless Leather" explores the future applications of lab-derived leather

This field is increasingly relevant because, through its scientific understanding and artistic applications, the role of cells can be better understood. For example, rises in fungi art and gene mutation experiments have shown that chloroplasts and mitochondria which are initially part of human/animal cells can also be external entities that allow for the transfer of DNA and RNA to other organisms (Margulis 116). Several biotechnologists also view their projects from an artists perspective to better view the numerous dimensions of life itself. For example, scientists working in the field of drug discovery also creatively evaluate source mechanisms, designs, and product interventions to receive an end product (Belmont 2). Above all, biotechnology and art can be viewed as an internally clashing field, and separations between the two may lead to the ethical concerns raised in the lecture. 

Figure 2: This video discusses the real-world effects of bio-art and its ethical integrity

The combination of both biotechnology and art is often named “BioArt” a rising industry drawing from technological aspects and artistic applications (Zurr and Catts 9). While there are concerns about the extent of experiments, there should be guidelines in place to guide artists and scientists through safe practices as well as thorough protocols that ensure projects are approved by supervising knowledge authorities before they move forward.

Figure 3: This figure depicts Eduardo Kac’s GFP Art, as he advocates for the ethics regarding genetic modification.

Bibliography

Belmont, Lisa. “So, What’s It Really like to Work in Biotech?” Molecular Biology of the Cell, vol. 24, no. 2, Jan. 2013, pp. 61–62. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E12-08-0611.

Delgado, Rick. “How Artists Are Blending Biotechnology And Art.” MUO, 8 May 2015, https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/artists-blending-biotechnology-art/.

Margulis, Lynn, and Dorion Sagan. What Is Life? University of California Press, 2000.

Zurr, Ionat, and Oron Catts. The Ethical Claims of Bio Art: Killing the Other or Self-Cannibalism? 2023.

Ramírez, José Luis, et al. “The Role of Biotechnology in Art Preservation.” Trends in Biotechnology, vol. 23, no. 12, Dec. 2005, pp. 584–88. www.cell.com, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2005.10.004.

Media Citations

Bioart: When Science Meets Art. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gesMuB57Y8. Accessed 12 May 2023.

Catts, Oron, and Ionat Zurr. “Victimless Leather.” The Tissue Culture & Art Project, 2004, https://tcaproject.net/portfolio/victimless-leather/.

What Is Bio Art? | ARTDEX. 14 July 2020, https://www.artdex.com/what-is-bio-art/.