Week 6: Art + Biotech

       As the world of biotech has evolved and grown over the last century, it has become very intertwined with the arts. Scientists working with genomes and DNA of living creatures have been able to create some of the most advanced and unique experiments, and in doing so have also unlocked a whole new realm for the arts. One of these experiments/art pieces, which has been both praised and scrutinized by the public, is the famous rabbit Alba created by Eduardo Kac. Alba is an albino rabbit that was genetically modified to glow fluorescent green.

    

Alba the Bunny (from New Scientist)
    

    To create Alba, scientists took a protein that originates in a certain glow in dark Jellyfish and inserted the gene into a fertilized rabbit egg, which grew up to be Alba. Once Alba developed into a fully grown rabbit, the glow-in-the-dark gene had replicated and made it into every cell in Alba causing the rabbit to glow bright green in the dark. 


The Orignal Glow in the Dark Jellyfish (from the University of California)


    While the creation of Alba is a great example of how biotech is being utilized as a new and fascinating means of artistic expression, it also poses a great question to society about the ethics of using life as art. Many people after the creation of Alba were outraged at the idea of editing a living animal's genes. This lead to Kac being criticized by both the scientific community as well as the general public. Despite this backlash, biotech and art have worked together to create hundreds of other projects that have faced less scrutiny. One of these projects that has gathered much attention was created by artist and scientist Stelarc from Curtin University.


Stelarc's Ear (from Stelarc.org)

    In the case of Stelarc, he was the subject of his own project. Stelarc had a human ear constructed on his own arm and plans to have a microphone inserted into the ear so that others can hear from his third ear. Stelarc’s ear is a great example of how the potential for art in the world of biotech is vast, yet it differs in a way from Alba the Rabbit. The important difference between the two is that one is voluntary while the other is not. While it may be true that scientists often experiment on animals or those who cannot give consent for the purposes of scientific advancement, I think that in the realm of art and biotech it is important to follow the path of Stelarc instead of Eduardo Kac. Life very much is a valid medium for expression, yet it is important to consider who or what life is the medium. As wonderful as biotech and art are, they should only blend when it comes to subjects who are willing to have potentially life-threatening or painful art projects performed on them. 


References:


"Australian Artist to Connect Ear Grown on Arm to Internet." Panache, The Economic times, 14 Aug. 2015. Web. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/australian-artist-to-connect-ear-grown-on-arm-to-internet/articleshow/48478162.cms


"Ear on Arm." Stelarc.org. Web. http://stelarc.org/?catID=20242


"Glowing Rabbit Glows No More." CABI, Ag Biotech Net, 13 Aug. 2002. Web. https://www.cabi.org/agbiotechnet/news/1628


Murdock, Andy. "How Glow-In-the-Dark Jellyfish Inspired a Scientific Revolution." University of California, 24 Apr. 2020. Web. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-basic-research-jellyfish-led-unexpected-scientific-revolution


Onion, Amanda. "Artist's Glowing, Live Rabbit creation Causes Fuss." ABC News, 7 Jan. 2006. Web. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=119939&page=1


Vaage, Nora S. "What Ethics for Bioart." US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health., 3 Mar. 2016. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4791467/


Vesna, Victoria. "Biotart pt1." Youtube, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaThVnA1kyg&t=1s


Young, Emma. "Mutant Bunny." New Scientist, 22 Sept. 2000. Web. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16-mutant-bunny/

Comments

  1. Nathan DudleyMay 9, 2021 at 1:49 PM

    The way this blog post was constructed is very helpful to the reader because the examples and explanations make it the topic and controversy very clear. I like how you broke down your two examples then gave your opinion at the end. I also agree in that biotechnology and art should only come together if all parties understand the potential risk and consequences.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hailey KangMay 9, 2021 at 3:11 PM

    Hi Jonathan! I really enjoyed your post this week. I completely agree with your last paragraph discussing the ethics behind biotech and art. Unfortunately, a lot of scientific advancements have been due to processes that we later understand as unethical. Hopefully in the future, we can continue to do extensive ethical research before conducting any new experiments!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kent BuiMay 9, 2021 at 11:51 PM

    Good job on your blog! I found it very enjoyable to read. I agree with your sentiment that biotech experiments should also consider the animals. Like you mentioned, the rabbit that was modified to grow in the dark could not consent, but Stelarc voluntarily chose to put an ear on his arm. The mention of potentially dangerous and life-threatening alterations that can occur with biotech, which brings to attention that it life should be approached with caution if it is used as an artistic canvas. Again just wanted to say good work on your blog!

    ReplyDelete

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