Week 6: BioTech + Art

Week 6: BioTech + Art
May 10, 2017



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/
The_Immortal_Life_Henrietta_Lacks_%28cover%29.jpg
The issue of using life/living cells and biological manipulation for scientific purposes has been a hot topic of debate over the past century. The area of bioethics is relatively new and yet extremely complicated. However, for the most part, we can say that many scientists who are breaching norms and crossing boundaries are attempting to help the human condition by trying to solve puzzles using various methods of biological manipulation. A recent story that encompasses both the questionable ethics that surround the scientific/medical community and also the efforts of scientists to find cures for diseases that plague humanity is the story of Henrietta Lacks. While Lacks’ cancerous cells were harvested from her without her permission and while scientists have profited off of her “immortal” cells without her family’s knowledge, scientists have made incredible progress over the years by studying and experimenting with her cells. Her cells “helped with some of the most important advances in medicine: the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization” (Skloot, The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks). Yet, the history behind all of these advances is now plagued with severe moral implications behind the actions of the scientist who harvested Lacks’ cells illegally.


HeLa Cells - Arguably art?
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a7/ef/84/a7ef84a1b355b43f503d47fab03efa65.jpg

Eduardo Kac's GFP Bunny
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/gnn_images/
news_content/03_02/bunny_art/alba.jpg

Thus, when it comes to the practice of biotechnology for the simple purposes and aesthetics of art and artistic expression, I personally don’t believe that the biological manipulation of living creatures (i.e. Eduardo Kac’s “GFP Bunny”) is a valid medium of artistic expression. There are many other ways of incorporating biotechnology into art (i.e. see this blog post on the use of biofeedback technologies) that don’t put living creatures in potentially harmful situations or that lessen their quality of life (i.e. Marta de Menezes’ butterflies who had holes in their wings after she genetically manipulated the patterns on their wings). The difference between an artist altering a life form versus similar procedures being performed by a scientist is that the goal of the scientist is for there to be mass human benefit. But the artist’s goal is just to see how creative he can be. I don’t believe this is a valid reason for the manipulation of living organisms or semi-living systems. If an artist wants to experiment with his own body (i.e. Stelarc and the ear in his arm), then that is a personal judgment call. But I don’t believe it’s ethical to subject other living creatures to potential pain simply for the sake of aesthetics and artistic expression.


Marta de Menezes' Asymmetrical Buttefly Wings
http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v10/n7/images/nrm2699-f2.jpg



Stelarc's Third Ear
https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2015/08/150812130237-stelarc-exlarge-169-e1439473518733.jpg



References
McCafferty, Georgia. "The man with an ear on his arm." CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Aug. 2015. Web. 11 May 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/arts/stelarc-ear-arm-art/>.
Reinert, Birgit. "GNN - Asymmetrical Butterfly Wings." GNN - Genome News Network. N.p., 28 May 2004. Web. 11 May 2017. <http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/05/28/butterflywings.php>.
Skloot, Rebecca. The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Broadway , 2017. Print.
Slawson, Kim. "Eduardo Kac's GFP Bunny, a Work of Transgenic Art, or, It's Not Easy Being Green." Bio Art. N.p., 19 Nov. 2000. Web. 11 May 2017. <http://www.ekac.org/slawson%203.html>.
Wernick, Adam. "The collision of art and science will produce an entirely new art form, a new book says." Public Radio International. N.p., 5 Dec. 2014. Web. 11 May 2017. <https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-12-05/collision-art-and-science-will-produce-entirely-new-art-form-new-book-says>.

Comments

  1. Na Hyun SongMay 17, 2017 at 8:57 PM

    I share similar view with you. I personally do not approve of using animals for medical invention, which means I really do not like using animals just for artistic expression. There have been some artists who hurt, tortured, or killed animals just for artistic expression or performance. So, I believe there will be some artists who will do whatever they want to do on animals to create somewhat creative art works using animals and biotechnology. I hope really strict regulations to be created in this field to protect animals and other living organisms.

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