This week in lecture we learned about how
biotechnology and art can interconnect.
What is biotechnology?
http://www.engineersgarage.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Original/wysiwyg_imageupload/4214/Biotechnology1_1.gif
Another interesting aspect of biotechnology
and art is selective breeding. Selective breeding occurs when humans breed
other animals and plants for their specific and desirable traits ("Animal
Breeding and Genetics"). Over the lifetime of our plant,
we can see that plants and animals have changed dramatically. Humans actively
choose which traits they want to be passed onto offspring. An example would be
the selective breeding of a Bull Terrier. A Texas hunting group has recently
created a new breed of dog, the Dogo Argentino, to perform the same duties as
the Bull Terrier ("Selective Breeding").
How its traits have changed over the years
http://www.direwolfproject.com/selective-breeding.html
Some people have developed controversies
towards “designer babies.” “Designer babies” use reproductive and genetic
technologies to create an optimal recombination of their parents’ genes
(Veksler). They claim it to be immoral and undesirable. However, it is important
for to remember that genetic diversity is valuable when it is used to enhance
human life (Veksler). Biotechnology also adds new tools to the old arsenal of
genetic techniques for stronger, healthier offspring.
Gattaca is a science fiction movie about
human recombination, in which parents choose traits for their offspring.
http://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/gattaca-1997/large_gZmIxR0qfaTj0sIvfAWqgqOOeVa.jpg
Another interesting topic that we learned in
this week’s lecture was mutation. A few years ago, there was an exhibition in
London called The Nature of Change: Hybridity and Mutation (Battersby). The exhibit was about hybridity and mutation being forms of
change relevant to today’s post-modern culture. The art explores transmutation,
gender bending, and other altercations (Battersby).
One of the many artworks at The Nature of Change: Hybridity and Mutation exhibit.
http://www.independent.co.uk/migration_catalog/article5292459.ece/alternates/w620/Jan-Manski,-Onania---Aetiol.jpeg
All in all, BioArt has become more widely practiced
in our generation and will continue to surpass its potentials (Miranda). Often,
it is controversial or somewhat shocking, but artists who practice BioArt draw
attention to beautiful and grotesque details of nature that we will overlook in
life.
Works
Cited
"Animal Breeding and
Genetics." Agriculture and Life Sciences. Web. 10 May 2015.
Battersby, Matilda. "The Art of
Mutation." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 7 Apr.
2011. Web. 9 May 2015.
Miranda, Carolina. "Weird Science:
Biotechnology as Art Form." ARTnews. 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 May 2015.
"Selective Breeding." The
Dire Wolf Project. Web. 9 May 2015.
Veksler, David. "The One Minute
Case for Designer Babies." One Minute Cases. 2 Apr. 2009. Web. 10 May
2015.
3 comments:
Hi, thanks for your comment on my post! To answer your question, I probably wouldn’t label myself as an artist if someone were to ask me because I consider the research that I do as a Psychobiology major more as work towards discovering the truth about something rather than making a personal statement about something. However, the definitions of art and an artist do seem pretty broad to me, so maybe someone might consider what I do art!
It’s still pretty difficult for me to come to terms with animal testing, since we obviously wouldn’t have much as much knowledge as we do without it, but there is always the question of consent and whether or not animals are capable to give consent. Artists like Orlan use themselves in their art, which I think is perfectly fine because they are aware of what they are doing to themselves. Like the selective breeding that you mention in your post, even though it has become pretty commonplace in our society, we have to ask ourselves if it’s ethical to basically force animals to do things that they wouldn’t normally do. It’s definitely more of a controversy with “designer babies” because we are dealing with humans. However, not everyone agrees on how sentient animals are and whether or not it should be a big deal that we’re subjecting them to experiments and art projects. Like I said before, I still don’t really know what is right or not, but it’s definitely important to keep a dialogue open, and I think BioArt does help contribute to this conversation.
Hi!
I like your points about "designer babies". The more genetic variation, the better chance for survival overall, and mixing genes on purpose gives the same effect as making a baby the old-fashioned way, but with the difference being in the ability to control the input factors carefully. However, we humans, especially in America, eat genetically modified and processed foods, we take high-tech drugs whose ingredients we rarely can pronounce, and we all stare at iPhones and computer screens; it isn't such a far jump from this reality to one where people are also purposely modified. The ethical and moral implications provide a strong counter to the idea, one that I do agree with, but in terms only of gaining scientific understanding and conducting a real life experiment on humans to learn about genetic development, the "designer baby" plan has credibility.
Hi!
I like your points about "designer babies". The more genetic variation, the better chance for survival overall, and mixing genes on purpose gives the same effect as making a baby the old-fashioned way, but with the difference being in the ability to control the input factors carefully. However, we humans, especially in America, eat genetically modified and processed foods, we take high-tech drugs whose ingredients we rarely can pronounce, and we all stare at iPhones and computer screens; it isn't such a far jump from this reality to one where people are also purposely modified. The ethical and moral implications provide a strong counter to the idea, one that I do agree with, but in terms only of gaining scientific understanding and conducting a real life experiment on humans to learn about genetic development, the "designer baby" plan has credibility.
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