BioArt: Contemporary Art and the Life Sciences

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies Documentation

2008-06-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies

2008-05-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies Jennifer Willet

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies is a course of research and creative production centering around the notion of a 'laboratory ecology' that will result in a series of performances, installations, art objects, and critical writings. This work is based on my experiences as an artist and non-specialist working in a variety of bioscience and biomedical laboratories. Essentially, I am interested in intervening in the 'laboratory ecology,' as I perceive it. The carefully balanced relationship between all organisms (and parts of organisms) inhabiting the lab – animal and human research subjects - cells, bacteria, enzymes, plants – the scientists themselves, and even unwanted contaminants. What interests me about this ecology is the closed relationship it possesses with external ecologies. Ideally within a lab – specimens and samples either originate in the laboratory vacuum, or enter from the external world (screened and sanitized) never to leave again. Additionally, elements of external ecologies (i.e. bacteria in the researcher's fingernails, hair, and mouth) are presumably prevented from 'infecting' the environment and organisms within the lab. I wish to produce a series of works that purposefully breaks with this convention – reconnecting the closed laboratory ecology with external ecologies – revealing the 'bodies in biotechnology' to viewers and participants as interconnected orders of life on this planet. Specifically, I am interested in pursuing representational, performative, and installation strategies for revealing the bodies in biotechnology – and thus laboratory ecologies – to viewers and participants. I am proposing several courses of action that will mobilize this strategy successfully.

___________________________________________________________________________

In collaboration with attendees of the BioArt: Contemporary Art and the Life Sciences class hosted bye The Art and Genomics Centre at The University of Leiden I propose to conduct the first incarnation of this project. I wish to bring the lab itself outside of its specialized environment as well, into public display – and further into natural environments. I see InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies culminating in an outdoor installation building a small portable lab in a natural environment. We will pitch a tent in a park in or around Leiden, and conduct ongoing laboratory research, performances and workshops begun in the classroom – bringing the laboratory ecology in direct contact with external or 'natural' ecologies.

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies Outdoor Installation Plan

We will pitch a 12' x 12' gazebo tent in an area selected for it's abundance of intersecting life forms (plants, bugs, dogs, people, fungi – and possibly agricultural animals.) The tent will be draped in plastic, with sides drawn open to the public. Inside: tables and chairs, a microscope, petri dishes, plants, and small animal enclosures – a functional but unruly site. Stacks of books, ledgers, and research materials, art supplies, a black board. The artists will perform their work within the lab, all the while performing alternative representations of the biological sciences for passing audiences, and documentary purposes. We will draw the laboratory performance aesthetic from a variety of art and historical sources including: A Zed and Two Naughts (Peter Greenaway), Luncheon on the Grass (Manet), and references to colonial natural science and archeology expeditions from the turn of the century – suits, and parasols, and lab coats – and with permission – a nude woman picnicking in the grass. A variety of harmless biotechnological protocols and laboratory life forms coexist.

Possible examples:

(1) Bacterial cultures growing in agar under a lamp. (swabs taken from 'clean' laboratory surfaces are cultured)

(2) Plant tissue cultures growing in test tubes under a florescent lamp. Older specimens growing in pots.

(3) DNA Electrophoresis (Discovery DNA Explorer Kit - children's toy) (4) Fruit Fly Hotel (educational toy)

Final Student BioArt Projects.

2008-05-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2008

Hello all! I just want to thank you all for the excellent presentations you made on Friday. The final projects were diverse, exciting - even some perverse! I always think of group critique days as a little like Christmas - with lots of presents and surprises for me, as a viewer - rather then the director of the days events. Really, all in all excellent individual and collaborative projects!

DNA Extraction Images

2008-05-18T03:16:00.000-07:00

Zaretsky DNA Extraction

2008-05-18T03:14:00.000-07:00

On May 09, 2008 US artist Adam Zaretsky visited our class giving an artist presentation and a Mutagenic DNA Extraction Lab. The emphasis was on utilizing kitchen grade materials to extract DNA from an un-nameable mix of ingredients containing DNA. Student's brought in a variety of samples including: liver, beets, corn, peas, and others. Through a series of simple protocols, the mutagenic DNA was extracted and collected by the group.

Congratulations! You have just completed a DNA extraction!

"DNA is a long, stringy molecule that likes to clump together. I should look similar to stale tapioca, fresh sperm or loose phlegm. In this form, DNA is considered by most educated biologists to be a protein (as in an organic chemical) totally inert and completely safe when it is not inside a cell’s ‘machinery.’ Do you believe that these Hybrid DNA samples are isolated and purified? Even if they are, does that make them safe? Do you think our samples are safe enough to lick? Why or why not?"

(excerpt from Zartesky Mutagenic DNA extraction protocol.)

Historical Continuity

2008-05-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Le Grimoire d'Hypocrate / The Alchemist
P.F. Basan (1723-1797)
301 x 403 mm
Etching and engraving
Printroom, Universiteit Leiden

I was in the Prentenkabinet in the Libary, when I came across this 18th century French print. To me it represents a sort of historical precedent of BioArt, the alchemist/scientist/artist who in his/her laboratory seeks to transform base matter into something higher. Perhaps the spiritual component of medieval alchemy, where the transformation of base matter into gold simultaneously signified the cleansing of the soul, is also very much present in BioArt (although this is of course a factor significantly determined by the artist' own conception of spirituality).

Nevertheless, as spirituality can be -broadly- considered the individual's reception of and reaction to values of their respective community/communities, Bioart produced by an artist is inherently engaging in a debate that forms very much part of the public sphere, i.e. cloning, genetics, but also more profoundly: what is life and what do we do with it? The production and incorporation of scientific protocols as evident in most of the work we have encountered so far in the course represents however a significant departure from the medieval alchemist's methodology. Whereas before such recipes/protocols would have been closely guarded secrets of controversial (i.e. the Church, and the Inquisition in the 16th century formed significant obstacles in the secularistion of scientific knowledge) the increased literacy and education of our age means that protocols can be read and understood by all.

Questions that interest me are: is the democratisation of such knowledge favourable to artists?
How does the understanding of the scientific process impact the reception of the artwork, and vice versa?

GFP Results Images

2008-05-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

I took these images at the lab yesterday. Unfortunately, I did not bring my good camera, and the low light levels are apparent -
but good documentation, none the less. Jennifer

Dr. Steven Kurtz (Critical Art Ensemble)

2008-05-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is some information on the case against Dr. Steven Kurtz, against whom charges were dropped recently. A friend sent it to me via email, I hope it is ok to post it on the blog.

April 21, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUDGE DISMISSES MAIL FRAUD CASE AGAINST BIO-ARTIST KURTZ

Buffalo, NY - A process that has taken nearly four years may be coming to
an end. On Monday, April 21, Federal Judge Richard J. Arcara ruled to
dismiss the indictment against University at Buffalo Professor of Visual
Studies Dr. Steven Kurtz.

In June 2004, Professor Kurtz was charged with two counts of mail fraud
and two counts of wire fraud stemming from an exchange of $256 worth of
harmless bacteria with Dr. Robert Ferrell, Professor of Human Genetics at
the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

Dr. Kurtz planned to use the bacteria in an educational art exhibit about
biotechnology with his award-winning art and theater collective, Critical
Art Ensemble.

Professor Kurtz' lawyer, Paul Cambria, said that his client was "pleased
and relieved that this ordeal may be coming to an end."

The prosecution has the right to appeal this dismissal. How the
prosecution will proceed is unknown at this time. If an appeal were
undertaken the case would move to the New York Second Circuit Court of
Appeals in New York City.

Lucia Sommer, Coordinator of the CAE Defense Fund, which raises funds for
Kurtz' legal defense, said, "We are all grateful that after reviewing this
case, Judge Arcara took appropriate action." She added that "this decision
is further testament to our original statements that Dr. Kurtz is
completely innocent and never should have been charged in the first place."

BACKGROUND ON DR. STEVEN KURTZ AND CRITICAL ART ENSEMBLE

Critical Art Ensemble (which Kurtz co-founded in 1987 with Steven Barnes)
has won numerous awards for its bio-art, including the prestigious 2007
Andy Warhol Foundation Wynn Kramarsky Freedom of Artistic Expression
Grant, honoring more than two decades of distinguished work. The group has
been commissioned to exhibit and perform in many of the world's cultural
institutions-including the London Museum of Natural History; The ICA,
London; the Whitney Museum and the New Museum in NYC; the Corcoran Museum
of Art in Washington, DC; Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; Musée d'Art
Moderne de la Ville de Paris; der Volksbüne, Berlin; ZKM, Karlsruhe; El
Matadero, Madrid; Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki; Museo de Arte
Carrilo Gil, Mexico City and many more.

For more information:
http://caedefensefund.org/releases/042108_Release.html

See you next Friday, cheers

PS sorry for the weird layout

Alternative GFP Vessel Pictures

2008-04-30T09:35:00.001-07:00

GFP Modification of Bacteria Pictures.

2008-04-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

GFP Modification of Bacteria Lab.

2008-04-30T08:49:00.001-07:00

I would like to take a moment to thank Akos Maroy for running the GFP lab last week. I found it to be a very informative lecture and workshop, and it seem that all of you did too! If you wish to see his blog posting of the event here is a link.

We should also thank our special guests for their contributions to the group discussion, Lucas Evers (WAAG) and Danielle Hofmans (TAAG.)

I popped into the lab a couple of days ago, and had a look at the results of our lab. Most of the groups completed the genetic transformation correctly - though I saw one or two sets that did not seem to be successful. Additionally, i was very pleased with the results we got utilizing the alternative vessels, and liquid Agar. I will do some photo documentation of the results shortly. Otherwise, I have some great pictures from the Akos' lesson that I will post today.

Enjoy your holiday!

Jennifer

Lab Kit, Inspiration to modify our tents

2008-04-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,

I found this nice website about lab kits for children:
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/

it is very interesting and maybe we could need to buy something from there.

Then, I also saw this particular tent for butterflies:
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/products/6408-butterfly-bungalow

I thought that maybe we could cut windows from the real tents we are using and replace the textile with this kind of transparent net.

See u
laura

Alvira Shvarts and Gregor Schneider

2008-04-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

Following up from friday afternoon, Aliza Shvarts -the artist who artificially inseminated herself for 9 months- and Gregor Schneider - the artist who wants a person to die in his next exhibition.

Gregor Schneider wants to have someone die during his next exhibition in Krefeld, Germany. The artist has long been interested in the idea of death in the museum space, and in 2002 he pretended to die during the exhibition. Source: The Art Newspaper.

Schneider seems to explore relationships between the individual and the architecture, which for him seems inseparable from authority structures. In Weisse Folter ("White Torture") the viewer explores a succession of cramped, eery spaces.

Yale University student Alvira Shvarts has for a period of nine months periodically inpregnated herself, and systematically inducing miscarriages. According to the Yale Daily News the show will show her documentation of these nine months, including videotapes of the induced miscarriages, and blood salvaged from these self-induced abortions. The question that her work poses is whether or not the artist is completely free to use his or her body as s/he wishes. Obviously the issue of abortion is a delicate one, and regardless of whether or not Shvarts' art is good art, I personally feel that people should be guarantueed complete sovereignty over their own physicality.

In connection with the performance element in both of projects I would also like to name Marina Abramovic, who with her artistic Ulay has long explored the idea of self-mutilation, pain and performance.

In Relation in Time Marina and Ulay have entangled their hair, and edge away from each other slowly, pulling at their hair. She has also explored the notion of self-mutilation in her piece The Star, where she cut a star into her stomach.

I think that a strong link between Bioart and performance art is the exploration of physicality, whether that be through microscopic structures or the use of one's own body. I think both also draw on a strong spiritual element. Bioart is by way of the laboratory space and the specialised knowledge strongly reminiscent of the pursuit of medieval alchemy, transforming matter into something higher. This empirical component of Bioart, and the irrational element of performance art ("letting go" for the actor) suggest an Apollonian-Dionysian model.

CBC PodCasts

2008-04-26T03:24:00.000-07:00

Hello All.

I have been listening to a great series of podcasts hosted online through the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Radio. I thought you may be interested as well. They are available here:

Ideas: How to Think About Science
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?45#ref45

Have a good weekend. :)

Jennifer.

Lab History - the Wellcome Collection

2008-04-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I just got back from a short trip to London. On my last day I went to the Wellcome Trust, which holds a collection of curiosities related to medicine. As well as a collection of objects and art works in the same field. Here´s some pictures I´d like to share with you

1. A Floating laboratory, ca 1911

2. Mobile field bacteriological laboratory interior, Khartoum 1918

3. Charles Darwin´s walking stick, whalebone and ivory, 19th century

This is their website: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/

cheers,

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies

2008-04-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

Hello all.

That was a great class last week. Thank you to Dr. Alia for her lecture and tour of the SSNMR Research group at The University of Leiden. For more information you are welcome to go to their website: http://www.ssnmr.leidenuniv.nl/

Last week we also discussed committees for the final class project. There is a lits of committees below, please sign up for at least one.

Jennifer.

___________________________________________

Location scouting

Tent(s) Purchase and redesign committee

Props, scientific equipment, and TOYS (find online/or at science stores) digital microscope, dna extraction kit, sea monkeys, DNA Wizard) (Picnic blankets, baskets, a pig's head, anatomical
models, etc…)

FOOD committee (BBQ?)

Animal committee, including living enclosure for birds

Costumes! (everyone is responsible for their own costumes. Please confirm with me in advance.)

sonja's blog about this course

2008-04-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

I've made a posting on my blog about this course and will keep adding links as I find stuff to this. Here's a photo Kaisu took of Amalia and myself on April 11th.

Oron Catts lecture

2008-04-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I reserved one seat for Oron Catts lecture tomorrow but I cannot go anymore cause I have a thesis meeting. So, if one of you wants to go, he can in my place.
Another thing, can someone who is attending the lecture film it?
Tx
laura

Tissue Art

2008-04-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

I've edited some of the video I shot last friday in the lab. I decided to give it a very chaotic look because of the bloodiness of the shots (and partly because most of the footage was shot badly).

I'm uploading it right now, it will take a while. When it's done you can find it at http://www.vimeo.com/, and search for Tissue Art.

Done uploading, here is the link: http://www.vimeo.com/911399

Enjoy!

For Friday April 25, 2008 (next week)

2008-04-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

It has been suggested that I upload the readings a few days earlier - so that you have time to read them over the weekend. So, as requested the readings for next week are:

Critical Art Ensemble, "Introduction Contestational Biology" from The Molecular Invasion. Autonomedia: Brooklyn, NY 2002. pp 3-12
Available Online: http://www.critical-art.net/books/molecular/index.html

Critical Art Ensemble, "Transgenic Production and Cultural Resistance: A Seven-Point Plan" from The Molecular Invasion. Autonomedia: Brooklyn, NY 2002. pp 59-75
Available Online: http://www.critical-art.net/books/molecular/index.html

Drs. Danielle Hofmans PhD-project
Faculty of Humanities, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Lecture, De Brakke Grond, 10 April 2008
avaliable at: www.jenniferwillet.com/readings

Friday's class.

2008-04-17T06:07:00.001-07:00

Hello All.

I hope you are ready for class tomorrow.
We will be having a local scientific visitor: Dr. Alia, Solid State MRI Group. She will present in the first half of the class on the research being conducted in her group, and provide us with a tour of the facilities.
The second half of the class will be dedicated to group discussion - about the class, what you have experienced thus far, the course homework, and the final project. I encourage you all to bring your thoughts, questions, concerns and even critiques to the discussion! If we have time, i will also show you some of my work, as requested.
Otherwise, don't forget to complete this weeks readings (see below).

Jennifer.

Singer, Peter. “All Animals are Equal… or why supporters of liberation for blacks and women should support animal liberation too.” In Animal Liberation. Norfolk: Lowe and Brydone Ltd, 1976. pp. 1- 26

SAMIRA KABLI, A. ALIA, HERMAN P. SPAINK, FONS J. VERBEEK, and HUUB J.M. DE GROOT
Magnetic Resonance Microscopy of the Adult Zebrafish
ZEBRAFISH Volume 3, Number 4, 2006 © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Niels Braakman, MS, Jo ̈ rg Matysik, PhD, Sjoerd G. van Duinen, MD, PhD, Fons Verbeek, PhD, Reinhard Schliebs, PhD, Huub J.M. de Groot, PhD, and A. Alia, PhD.
Longitudinal Assessment of Alzheimer’s �-Amyloid Plaque Development in Transgenic Mice Monitored by In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Microimaging
JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING 24:530 –536 (2006)

Liver Cells - update and next class.

2008-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Report from the lab:

I hope you all enjoyed last week's class as much as I did! It was an excellent / complex / visceral procedure – that allowed us all to inherently grasp the bodyness and the food chain of the lambs livers – and their extrapolated existence as cells under the microscope and in the dish. I look forward to your comments and reflections during next class – and I am very curious to hear more from the objectors as well.

A resounding success – and a complete failure, where sterility is concerned. A number of you were able to isolate living cells, but pretty much every dish was contaminated with bacteria. You’re a dirty bunch! (just kidding) I went into the university to feed the cells on Sunday, and found one dish in particular that was hosting large fungal colonies – the rest were getting cloudy with bacteria. I had planned on keeping them alive in time for next week – but quite frankly I was worried about contaminating the incubator. So, I am sorry to report that all of the cells have been disposed off. They were packed in a biohazard bag, and left for autoclaving. Life is a violent process, even in the lab.

Other news…

I have a little homework assignment for everyone. On April 25 we will be doing a genetic modification of bacteria protocol. This process usually takes place in petri dishes (like we used in the first class.) However, we thought it may be interesting to use some alternative vessels. I am asking that you all bring in small vessels for next class (April 18th) that we can use for this lab. They must be small, made of a material that can be heat sterilized in an oven - and think of interesting shapes - transparencies - alternative uses.

Lamb Liver Photos!

2008-04-14T11:51:00.001-07:00

Primary Isolation of Lamb Liver Cells

2008-04-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Anne Kienhuis | Jennifer Willet
2008

Materials:

1 lamb liver within 48 hours of slaughter
1 cooler w/ ice
1 cutting board
4 syringes – w/ terumo cannula
1 plastic tray
1 plastic stand w/ holes
2 beakers
1 knife
1 tweezers
1 filter + 100 mesh
Pipette Gun
10 ml pipettes
25 ml pipettes
6 well tissue culture tray

70% ethanol
PBS
HBSS 10% solution w/ sterile water
DMEM + Glutamax + Collagenase (Add 250 mg Collagenase to 500 mL DMEM)
DMEM + Glutamax + Penstrep +10% FBS
DMEM + Glutamax + Penstrep

1) Put Liver on ice immediately after purchase, and transport to laboratory
2) Sterilize all equipment with 70% ethanol
3) Immediately (before the blood has much time to clot) slice a small piece of lobe off with a single clean cut.
4) Place liver on top of perforated stand – on top of a beaker - within a plastic tray.
5) Using a syringe and tc – perfuse exposed veins with PBS until color is drained from liver.
6) Choose three prominent vein entries into the liver (test their prominence by injecting HBSS solution into veins.
7) place three stationary syringes + tc into these openings, and crazy glue into place
8) Seal entire cut opening of liver lobe with the application of crazy glue
9) Simultaneously flush each opening with 100ml of HBSS solution SLOWLY.
10) Take a new beaker.
11) Simultaneously flush each opening with 100ml of DMEM w/ Collagenase solution SLOWLY – ensuring that all excess is captured by the beaker below.
12) Repeat three times
13) Remove plugs, and crazy glue carefully with tweezers
14) Take a moment to clean out the beaker with a towel and 70% ethanol (take care that ethanol is evaporated before use!)
15) Make several cuts into the liver.
16) Pour DMEM + FBS over cuts in liver – capturing the solution in your beaker. Do this several times. Eventually, stirring the liver gently in the beaker creating a cell suspension solution.
17) Filter into a clean beaker twice, once with the filter alone, and the second time with the 100 mesh nestled within the filter.
18) Pour final solution back into the DMEM + FBS 50ml vial.
19) Centrifuge for 5 min at 75g.
20) Remove excess DMEM with a pipette gun, and take off top layer of red blood cells and dead cells.
21) Add 10 ml of DMEM + FBS, pipetteing up and down stirring cells.
22) (it is good at this point to repeat steps 19 – to 21.
23) Place solution evenly in 6 well TC tray
24) Rotate tray in a figure 8 pattern evenly distributing the cells over the tray, and incubate at 37 C w/ CO2 5%.

Bacteria Cultures: one week later....

2008-04-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Bacteria Samples in the Incubator... Did one of you pee in your dish?

Class Prep: 02 Tissue Culture

2008-04-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hello All.

I am very pleased with our work last class. I feel we had a good introduction to BioArt in general, and a nice simple laboratory introduction as well.

We will have a visitor next week: Marie Pier Boucher. She is a PhD student from The University of Exeter. She will give a presentation: Transductive aesthetics: Bioart’s Ethics and Politics.

For next week, please do the following two readings:

Jens Hauser. "Bio Art – Taxonomy of an Etymological Monster" from Hybrid living in paradox: Ars Electronica 2005. Christine Schöpf, Gerfried Stocker. Edts. Ostfildern-Ruit, New York, Hatje Cantz: D.A.P. Distributed Art Publishers, 2005. p.182.

Catts, Oron, and Ionat Zurr. "Are the Semi-Living semi-good or semi-evil?" in Technoetic arts: an international journal of speculative research. Issue 1, 2003

They are available online at: (same as every week)

www.jenniferwillet.com/readings

I will also post my powerpoint lecture from last week for anyone who would like a copy.

We will be starting at 1:15 every week to allow students to arrive form morning classes. On Friday we will be starting in the lab first. So please meet me in the front lobby at 1:15 sharp - and we will go to the lab together.

Otherwise, students who want to see their bacteria from last week under the microscope can meet at 11:00 am (also in the lobby) and I will take you in. If you ever get stuck locked out - you can always ask at the front desk for Anne Kinehuis - or myself (in Liesbeth van der Velden's office). And they will help you.

See you on Friday!

Jennifer.

Class 01: Bacteria Cultures

2008-04-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

or how dirty are scientists anyways......

Gorlaeus Laboratories

workstation

students

* Class Readings *

2008-03-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

For each class the students will be required to complete the assigned readings. These readings will be available on line for a period of one week before the class. After that time, they will be removed for copyright purposes. The readings can be found at:

www.jenniferwillet.com/readings

For the first class on April 04, 2008 each participant should complete the following readings, and be prepared to discuss them in class:

Richard Lewontin, "A Science as Social Action" from Biology as Ideology the Doctrine of DNA. Anansi Press: Concord. 1991 pp 81-97

Gessert, George. “Notes sur l’art de la selection végétale” in L'art biotech’., Jens Hauser, ed. (Nantes, France : Le Lieu Unique, 2003), p. 47 Catalogue from the exhibition L'art biotech’ (authors’ english version).

Latour, Bruno and Steve Woolgar, "An Anthropologist Visits The Laboratory" from Laboratory Life: the construction of scientific facts. (second edition, enlarged) Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986.

Introduction:

2008-03-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

BioArt: Contemporary Art and the Life Sciences
Jennifer Willet 2008

http://leidenbioart.blogspot.com/

www.jenniferwillet.com
www.bioteknica.org
jswillet@gmail.com

Do artists cross the line when they breed plants or animals, or use the tools of biotechnology? Scientists routinely cross the line. So do farmers, business people, military men, and doctors. Only artists and certain religious people hesitate. Of course one of the great human dilemmas is that we do not know the extent of our powers. We invent outrageously and casually as we breath, but we have no idea where our inventions will take us. Extinction? Slavery? 1000 years in Disneyland? Even if the Holocaust had never happened, we would have good reason to worry about where knowledge of genetics and DNA will take us. We will need all the awareness we can muster to engage evolution. To the extent that art favors awareness, the more artists who cross the line the better.

George Gessert

BioArt: Contemporary Art and the Life Sciences is an innovative course that will allow for non-specialist students to engage theoretically and practically in the biological sciences towards fostering a critical participatory engagement with the biological sciences from a fine art perspective. This course is a studio art and science crossover lab intended for students from various disciplines to foster interdisciplinary exploration of the intersections between art and life through hands-on laboratory protocols, critical readings, and the production of contemporary artwork.

Together we will explore the ethical debates, issues of access and accountability, and overspecialization that arise from contemporary biotechnologies and BioArt practices. Lectures will address a range of topics including; the biological sciences, historical crossovers between the fine arts and the hard sciences, and contemporary artists in the art/science field. Practical workshops will provide students with introductory experience with mammalian tissue culture, microscopy, DNA extraction and imaging, and genetic modification (amongst others) with an emphasis on health and safety and proper laboratory technique.

Students will be expected to complete weekly readings, participate in class discussions and lab workshops, and produce individual and collaborative artworks and critical written texts.

Additionally, each student will participate in a final class project in collaboration with artist/instructor Jennifer Willet Called InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies. Each class will include a 30 min meeting in preparation for the final installation/performance.

BioArt: Contemporary Art and the Life Sciences

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies Documentation

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies

Final Student BioArt Projects.

DNA Extraction Images

Zaretsky DNA Extraction

Historical Continuity

GFP Results Images

Dr. Steven Kurtz (Critical Art Ensemble)

Alternative GFP Vessel Pictures

GFP Modification of Bacteria Pictures.

GFP Modification of Bacteria Lab.

Lab Kit, Inspiration to modify our tents

Alvira Shvarts and Gregor Schneider

CBC PodCasts

Lab History - the Wellcome Collection

InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies

sonja's blog about this course

Oron Catts lecture

Tissue Art

For Friday April 25, 2008 (next week)

Friday's class.

Liver Cells - update and next class.

Lamb Liver Photos!

Primary Isolation of Lamb Liver Cells

Bacteria Cultures: one week later....

Class Prep: 02 Tissue Culture

Class 01: Bacteria Cultures

*** Class Readings ***

Introduction:

* Class Readings *