Week 6: BioTech + Art

This week’s topic touches upon a controversial issue – the use of biotechnology in art. If we were to delve deeper into the issue, we can attribute the controversies to the public’s misunderstandings, lack of knowledge and the resulting fear of biotechnology. Humans are naturally afraid of the unknown, especially when the future of our genes and health are at stake. Mass media has intensified this fear by amplifying the dangers of biotechnology. As a result, most of the public is generally unreceptive to any form of biotechnology, including genetic engineering, unless it is absolutely necessary and leads to greater advancements in science. 

Eduardo Kac’s GFP Bunny is one of the many artworks that involved some form of genetic modification. Alba was created by inserting a glowing gene into an albino bunny. 

Alba, the GFP Bunny.

While Kac has assured that the bunny was not harmed in any way, the public remains divided on this issue. Furthermore, the director of the lab did not allow Kac to bring Alba home, due to fears of backlash from the French public, who are anxious about biotech research. In an interview conducted with Kac, he agrees that the “implicit suggestion is that genetic engineering of any kind should only be done when it is tied to a scientifically legitimated notion of human benefit.” (Lynch). He questions: “Why are we afraid of “transgenic” when it’s near the word art but not afraid of it when it is near the word science?” (Kac). 

Marta De Manezes’ Nature? also provoked controversy. By interfering with the development of the wing at the pupae stage, new wing patterns were able to be developed.

Marta De Manezes’ Nature?

Alba and the butterflies can be juxtaposed against Dolly the Sheep, who was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell taken from a mammary gland. Her existence, unlike Alba and the butterflies, was met with celebrations and applause. The scientists behind the cloning were awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine, in recognition of their contributions towards the advancement of science (Weintraub). However, Dolly is just like Alba. It is unfair to justify the use of biotechnology in science but dismiss its meaningfulness in art, on the basis of the fear of biotechnology, combined with the blind trust we have that biotechnology is necessary and good when used for scientific purposes. 

Dolly the Sheep with Professor Ian Wilmut, one of the scientists who cloned her.

In the artworks and materials discussed this week, it is clear that there is a place for art in this conversation. Art can bridge the knowledge gap and alleviate the fear of biotechnology by demonstrating how biotechnology works from a different perspective. In turn, people will gain a better and more in-depth understanding of biotechnology, allowing them to be more open to future showcases of art in biotechnology.

References 

De Manezes, Marta. “The Self and the Non-Self: Losing Yourself Through Immortality and Rejection.” DESMA 9 Week 6 Lecture, 4 May 2021, online. Lecture. 

Weintraub, Karen. “20 Years after Dolly the Sheep Led the Way – Where is Cloning Now?” Scientific American, 5 Jul. 2016, www.scientificamerican.com/article/20-years-after-dolly-the-sheep-led-the-way-where-is-cloning-now/. 

Kac, Eduardo. “GFP BUNNY.” Kac Web, www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor. Accessed 4 May 2021. 

Lynch, Lisa. “Trans-Genesis: An Interview with Eduardo Kac.” New Formations, no. 49, Spring 2003, pp. 75-90, www.ekac.org/newformations.html. 

Kac, Eduardo, et al. “Behold, Alba: Genetically modified glow Bunny sparks a debate between its creator, SAIC professor Eduardo Kac, and students.” F Newsmagazine, Nov. 2000, pp. 13-15, www.ekac.org/fdeb.html. 

<Images and Videos> 

McDonald, Maurice. “Dolly knighthood row.” PA Images, 9 Apr. 2003, www.paimages.co.uk/search-results/fluid/?category=A,S,E&fields_0=all&fields_1=all&imagesonly=1&orientation=both&urn=5568603&words_0=all&words_1=all. 

Kac, Eduardo. “GFP Bunny.” Kac Web, ekac.org/gfpbunny.html. Accessed 4 May 2021. 

De Manezes, Marta. “Nature?” Marta De Menezes, martademenezes.com/portfolio/projects/. Accessed 4 May 2021.