Week 6 | BioTech+Art Blog | Assignment

Biotechnology

This week we learned about the combination of biology, technology, and art. Before this lecture it never came to my attention that there existed such a field. I was intrigued by the way that artists have experimented with biotechnology in their own artworks and creative processes. However, this area of biotechnology and art has been known to be very controversial as they reflect complex understandings of genetic issues that are part of our contemporary society (Vesna, BioArt Part 1). Controversy regarding biotechnology and art can be due to the lack of ethical and safety conditions in the field. Although we have learned to embrace biotech art as a means of exploring new frontiers of creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

ORLAN, beyond any conception of the body. https://www.fact.co.uk/artwork/harlequin-coat-2008

An example of this can be seen in the renowned French Artists performance and exhibition of the Harlequin Coat. "This multi-media instillation involved various cells from different species and ethnic origins in a patchwork of diamond shapes... in effort to comment on cultural crossbreeding and the potential of hybridising origins and species" (Orlan, 2008). This sculpture and piece included a composite and organic coat made from an assemblage of skin pieces from different colors that are made in-vitro in petri dishes in the lab (Vesna, BioArt part 4). This prototype of bio-technological code, consists of skin to symbolize cultural cross breeding in order to show different cultural ideas of beauty and how to cross bread beauty from different cultures and races. In an interview with Orlan in in 2019, she explains that her own cells were extracted and cultivated, alongside other cells of human origin and others of animal origin (FACT, 2019).  

Harlequin Coat (2008). via https://www.fact.co.uk/artwork/harlequin-coat-2008 

Based on this example of artistic expression through biotech it can be validated that life itself is a valid expressive medium. Therefore the question arises: is there a need for separate standards for artists creating or manipulating living organisms and semi-living systems? I think that there is a need to implement separate standards and policies for artists working with living organisms and semi-living systems that include ethical, safety, and regulatory protocols. These types of standards can help provide ethical conduct that prioritize safety, compliance, transparency, and accountability through the creative process of art and biotechnology. 

Bibliography

“ORLAN, beyond any conception of the body (2019).” FACT, https://www.fact.co.uk/artwork/harlequin-coat-2008. Accessed 10 May 2024.

“Harlequin Coat (2008).” FACT, www.fact.co.uk/artwork/harlequin-coat-2008. Accessed 10 May 2024.

Vesna, Victoria (2024). Biotechnology and Art Part 1. UCLA DESMA 9: Art, Science, and Technology. 

Vesna, Victoria (2024). Biotechnology and Art Part 4. UCLA DESMA 9: Art, Science, and Technology.