Week 6 Post

In my 9th grade biology class, we did a lab project where we used plasmids to alter the DNA of some bacteria so that they would fluoresce when they grew. I don't remember, but this might have been the same GFP gene that was discussed in this week's lecture videos. I remember being surprised that gene manipulation was so easy I was doing it in my freshman bio class, but I had never considered the connection to art until this class.

I looked online to see if I could find similar experiments, and I was able to find a kit for teachers to run a lab like this in their classrooms. The image to the left is from this kit, which for $105 gives you the ability to have 10 lab groups do this genetic modification (Edvotek). I believe this goes to show just how accessible biotechnology has become, and so there is no surprise that it is being used to make art. 

 

The Embracing Animal Exhibition (4)

To be honest, I found a lot of the examples from this week's lectures off-putting, so I decided to look more into Kathy High's work since I liked the empathetic treatment of the rats. High worked on a project called Embracing Animal from 2004-2006 where she housed three transgenic lab rats of model HLA-B27 in a luxurious house where they could play and were shown images of humans transforming. She was particularly interested in this model of rat because of their use in research for treatment of an autoimmune disorder she shares. After this exhibition, she released a photo project called HLA-B27 which was comprised of intimate photos of the Embracing Animal rats taken throughout the course of the art piece.

In 2009, High came out with another exhibition about transgenic rats called Burial Globes. The glass globes that make up the exhibition contain the ashes of the rats from her previous project along with information about them. 

Glass sculptures contain the ashes of rats in Burial Globes. (3)

Sources:

1. "Transforming E.coli with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP.)" Edvotek: The Biotechnology Education Company. https://www.edvotek.com/223 

2. Levy, Ellen K. "Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications."

3. Gameiro, Denise Neves. "Blood Wars and Celebrating the Unsung Rats of Science with #BioArt." Labiotech, 22 June 2022. https://www.labiotech.eu/trends-news/kathy-high-bioart-blood-wars/

4. High, Kathy. "Embracing Animal." https://www.kathyhigh.com/projects/embracing-animal/  

5.  "Kathy High." Remembering Animals: Rituals, Artifacts, and Narratives. http://www.rememberinganimals.art/kathy-high/