Week 6: Biotech + Art
May 6, 2022
The relationship between biotechnology and art can first be seen a few hundred years ago but has predominately become popularized by amazing artists such as Joe Davis, Eduardo Kac, and Zaretsky in the 1950s and 1960s. Although controversial, art scientists became increasingly curious about genetically modifying different animals such as fish and rabbits in ways to completely alter how we know them today. For example, Japanese chemist Osamu Shimomura was the first scientist to discover which green fluorescent protein was responsible for the nighttime glow similar to Halloween glow-in-the-dark sticks. Neat in science, but often frowned upon by animal lovers and human rights activists. Regardless, these advances lead to a rise in biotech art forms that would catch the world by storm.
One of my favorite biotech artists of all time, even before relearning about her in this class, has to be Kathy High. Kathy high is an American artist from New York who has curated different art venues across the world and is most notable for her Animal Attraction documentary. In her documentary, she analyzes the relationship between humans and pets, primarily her household cat, and finds substantial evidence to suggest that animals often reflect the behaviors of their owners. Although I would like to think my dog Blue is more obnoxious than I am, I often see similar characteristics between me and him. A few examples include the way we look when we are tired, the way we get happy over the smallest gestures, and even how we problem solve. You'd have to see it for yourself.
Wrapping things up, I would like to include an important quote by Joe Davis that encapsulates my additional support and reasoning for the importance of art forms like biotech in our present-day society. He states, "All of our dreams are going to one day come true. So we will have to have the right kinds of dreams. That is why science needs artists like me". Without dreaming big, there would be no success stories in art, literature, mathematics, and sciences. I find this quote to always be a reminder to think big and go after what you want in life regardless of whether it is related to art or not.
Work Cited
Douglas, Johnathan. “Kathy High.” Women Make Movies, https://www.wmm.com/filmmaker/Kathy+High/.
Levy, Ellen. “Ellen_Levy_BioArt - 1 Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications Ellen K. Levy like the Platypus, Which Presented a Taxonomic Dilemma: Course Hero.” Ellen_Levy_BioArt - 1 Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications Ellen K. Levy Like the Platypus, Which Presented a Taxonomic Dilemma | Course Hero, https://www.coursehero.com/file/19828843/Ellen-Levy-BioArt/.
McCormick, Barbara. “Osamu Shimomura.” Osamu Shimomura – EMBL Communications, https://www.embl.org/about/info/communications/blog/2021/05/osamu-shimomura/.
Smart, Trisha. “Joe Davis (Artist) - Alchetron, the Free Social Encyclopedia.” Alchetron.com, 18 Sept. 2021, https://alchetron.com/Joe-Davis-(artist).
Vesna, Victoria. "Biotech + Art." University of California, Los Angeles, 4 May. 2022, Los Angeles, CA. Lecture
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