Week 6: Biotech + Art

Art is all about exploring the world around oneself, delving into deep questions, and making audiences critically reflect. These are the very same guiding principles of science. Hence, it should be no surprise that biotechnology often crosses paths with art. So, what happens when biotech transcends laboratories and becomes a subject of artistic practice?

SymbioticA – an art and science lab in Australia – developed an exhibit known as “MEART – The Semi-Living Artist” that consists of two parts: a brain and body; the former is made of cultured brain cells from a rat while the latter is a robotic arm, each of which are in different locations. The two body parts communicate with each other over a network like the internet in order to sketch drawings in real-time. The exhibit merges biotechnology with art to make viewers question creation and whether human behavior is programmed or a product of free will.

Figure 1. MEART, Robotic arm drawing.

In recent years, similar exhibits and “art laboratories”, such as Genspace in Brooklyn and the BiofiliA lab in Helsinki, have opened that provide resident artists with access to high-tech equipment. While having scientists work on art is seemingly revolutionary, this is nothing new. In the late 90s, Natalie Jeremijenko – an engineer and artist – cloned a walnut variety a thousand times over as part of project OneTrees. In an effort to create a spectacle in San Francisco and trigger public dialogue about the ways we impact nature and the ways it affects us. Even going back as late as 1985, Joe Davis, a Boston-based artist, produced a piece entitled Microvenus, which consisted of a strand of DNA encoded with the Germanic rune symbol for life inserted into an E. coli bacterium (Davis).

Figure 2. Natalie Jeremijenko, Using genetically identical trees to reveal patterns of culture and climate.

These real-life situations make me think of “The Amazing Spiderman” from 2012. Although the movie itself was fun to watch, I was especially fascinated by the subplot featuring lizard DNA and limb regeneration. While turning into a lizard seems far-fetched (for now at least), scientists today have been successful with limb regeneration. A joint undertaking by teams at Harvard and Tufts managed to regrow a frog’s amputated legs using a drug cocktail (Murugan et al.).

Figure 3. Tufts University, Frog regeneration with different treatment groups.

In a way, movies like this create awareness about new advances in biotechnology and give audiences a glimpse into the future. Regardless, while Bioart is certainly an effective medium for provoking thought, we must be careful not to sacrifice our ethics in the process.

Works Cited

Dalager, Nicole. “MEART.” 21st Century Digital Art, 26 May 2016, http://www.digiart21.org/art/meart.

DaSilva, Edgar J. “Art, Biotechnology and the Culture of Peace.” Electronic Journal of Biotechnology, vol. 7, no. 2, 2004, https://doi.org/10.2225/vol7-issue2-fulltext-8.

Davis, Joe. “Microvenus.” Art Journal, vol. 55, no. 1, 1996, p. 70., https://doi.org/10.2307/777811.

"Frog Regeneration and Treatment Groups." Tufts University. 29 Jan. 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/regenerative-medicine-leg-amputated-regrown-frogs/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.

Jeremijenko, Natalie. "Natalie Jeremijenko | KQED Spark." . Youtube, uploaded by KQED, 23 Jan. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHy0O0UYZNo

Leishman, Rachel. “Scientists Who Never Saw Spider-Man Make Limb Regeneration Breakthrough in Frogs.” The Mary Sue, 1 Feb. 2022, https://www.themarysue.com/spider-man-the-lizard-frog-limb-regeneration/.

"MEART: THE SEMI-LIVING ARTIST." 18 June 2012, http://cyberneticzoo.com/cyberneticanimals/2001-4-meart-rat-neuron-drawing-machine-symbiotica-australianamerican/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.

Murugan, Nirosha J., et al. “Acute Multidrug Delivery via a Wearable Bioreactor Facilitates Long-Term Limb Regeneration and Functional Recovery in Adult Xenopus Laevis.” Science Advances, vol. 8, no. 4, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj2164.

Rogers, Hannah Star, et al. “Art’s Work in the Age of Biotechnology: Shaping Our Genetic Futures.” Leonardo, vol. 55, no. 1, 2022, pp. 5–17., https://doi.org/10.1162/leon_a_01966.

Shea, Ellyn. “Onetrees: The Forgotten Tree Art Project: Deeproot Blog.” Deeproot, 13 Apr. 2021, https://www.deeproot.com/blog/blog-entries/onetrees-the-forgotten-tree-art-project/.

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