Week 6: BioTech + Art

This week's topic, BioTech + Art, deeply interested me. Nature and biology have always intertwined with art; we can see this even centuries ago when troglodytes used minerals, charcoal, and berries as a medium for cave paintings. However, as technology has rapidly evolved, the extent that art and nature are interconnected has deepened.

Cave Painting in the Sahara Desert

Joe Davis

The work of Joe Davis intrigued me. Professor Vesna coined him as the pioneer of BioArt. Davis's work has allowed for many advancements and processes in the BioArt world. His project, Audio Microscope, focuses on translating light information into sound. He furthered this project by studying how E. Coli responds to sound. What Davis found is that "slightly different acoustic signatures corresponded to slightly different species of microorganisms" (Davis, 2000). 

"Audio Microscope" by Joe Davis

I find BioArt particularly interesting because I can understand the impact that these unique projects have on the scientific and artistic community. However, I can also understand the ethical concerns that arose surrounding using scientific processes for art. It is difficult to determine what biotechnology is ethical, especially when arguments say that it is okay for scientific use but not for art. I think that biotechnology in industry/academia is generally more accepted because it is easier for the general public to understand the "why" of the project. I believe that human creativity should have its limitations to protect valued pieces of life. But often, these limitations are not followed. This being said, I do find BioTech and its relationship with art fascinating, and I am curious to see what future developments will be made.

Sources:

“5 Bioart pt1 1280x720.” YouTube, 18 Sept. 2013, youtu.be/PaThVnA1kyg.

“5 BioArt pt5.” YouTube, 17 May 2012, youtu.be/z7zHIdsFS3A?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7.

Audio Microscope: Joe Davis : Genetics and Culture, geneticsandculture.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w03/davis_audio_scope.htm.

Audio Microscope: Joe Davis : Genetics and Culture, geneticsandculture.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w03/davis_audio_scope.htm.

“Chad's Ancient Ennedi Cave Paintings Defaced.” BBC News, BBC, 20 Mar. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39332438.

Embracinganimal.com, www.embracinganimal.com/.

GFP BUNNY, www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor.

Nadis, Steve. “Creating Art from Microbes and Molecules.” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2019, www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/creating-art-from-microbes-and-molecules.