WEEK 6 Blog

Bio Tech and Art

The combination Biotech and Art creates very complex medium. Professor Vesna began her lecture by explaining that bio technology, genetics, and technology artists have entered into laboratories working directly with biologists and neurologists. These biotech artists usually work with genetics to create their own unique works of art. The reason why I claimed that biotech and art is a very complex medium is for two reasons. First, the works of art usually involve complex and advanced scientific knowledge and techniques. Secondly, biotech and art is a complex medium because of the ethical issues surrounding modification of living things. It is this ethical dilemma that I will explore today.
Kac's GFP bunny. Notice how it glows in the dark. 

Discussions of what is at stake in bio-artworks tend to focus on questions such as: Should artists be allowed to meddle with life? What are the potential implications of artists letting laboratory life forms into the environment? Should there be constraints on whether, how and when artists can use these biotechnologies? Eduardo Kac’s GFP bunny is a good example of an ethical dilemma. Kac infused rabbit DNA with translucent properties from a bio-luminescent jellyfish. The end result was a living rabbit that would glow in the
Kac and his bunny. Notice
how the bunny appears
healthy.
dark. This is an amazing achievement but what are the ethical implications? Some would argue that using living creatures as a canvas for art is unethical. The modification of living creatures for art sacrifices both the life of the creature and potentially its well-being. Kac’s response to these ethical criticisms is that “transgenic art can contribute to the field of aesthetics by opening up the new symbolic and pragmatic dimension of art as the literal creation of and responsibility for life.” An article by Artswire also points out that projects like Kac’s may not be ethical, but they do at least bring to attention what is going on in the scientific community. Projects like the GFP bunny tend to pick up a lot of publicity. With that publicity, people find out that scientists are doing experiments on animals like the GFP bunny all the time. This kind of effect is a positive one because a better informed public increases the scrutiny on unethical practices.
The jellyfish that Kac used to engineer his GFP bunny.
In conclusion, the main question facing the biotech art community is: should we do things just because we can? My answer is no. Just because we can bioengineer a rabbit to glow doesn’t mean we should. I don't believe the alteration of living things should be considered a field for aesthetics. Bio art just presents an unnecessary risk to living creatures that I do not think is justified by the amazing projects.

 Sources:
Uconlineprogram. “Biotech intro NEW.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Mar. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvp924_pbgc. Accessed 14 May 2017.

 “Louis-Marie Houdebine.” Accueil du site, www.agoravox.fr/auteur/louis-marie-houdebine. Accessed 14 May 2017.

 “Eduardo Kac's Gfp Bunny Incites Debate About Ethics Of Transgenic Art.” Eduardo Kac's Gfp Bunny Incites Debate About Ethics Of Transgenic Art, www.ekac.org/artswire.html. Accessed 14 May 2017.

 Vaage, Nora S. “What Ethics for Bioart?” Nanoethics, Springer Netherlands, 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4791467/#CR34. Accessed 14 May 2017.

 Becker, Carrol. “ GFP BUNNY.” K A C , www.ekac.org/cbecker.html. Accessed 14 May 2017.
Image sources:
http://www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/images/alba2.jpg

 http://www.ekac.org/gfpb1.jpeg

 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e5/f5/8c/e5f58c45ecc785a6f51799c30b169150.jpg

Comments

  1. AudieMay 18, 2017 at 4:16 PM

    I definitely agree with your statement regarding our ability to do things just because we can. There are a lot of things we are capable of doing, but does that means it is necessary, progressive or even moral? Altering the living organisms that exist today and potentially putting them at risk is one think i personally cannot see to have an "aesthetic" or artistic beauty. Great post!

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