Biotechnology + Art

"I like to take the least connected things and try to build connections between them." - Joe Davis

It is becoming more and more common for today's artists to explore the developing field of biotechnology. Biotechnology is a controversial issue because it is a science that toys with genetic modifications, including human mutations. As a result, these issues give rise to many ethical debates regarding the fine line between biotechnology, science, and art. According to Professor Vesna, Joe Davis, the pioneer of biotechnological art, saw genes as a "palette" for artists.

Biotechnology is much more present in our lives than we think. Being an avid foodie, I was excited to read Seed Magazine's, "This is Your Brain on Food," which describes how the food we eat can influence our neurons, which in turn effect how we think and feel. This article states that in actuality, anything we take into our bodies should be seen as a drug, whether obviously one or not. The author explains how the food we eat has cross-similar characteristics to some of today's popular psychoactive drugs, which also come from plants or animals. It is mind blowing to realize that the same chemicals that are in drugs can also be released when we eat everyday foods such as potatoes or tomatoes. This is the chemical compound myristicin, found in nutmeg. In high doses, it can have hallucination effects and LSD-like experiences.

On the topic of food, we can also see how biotechnology influences food that we see at the local grocery store. This week I went grocery shopping, and I found the biggest tomato I've ever seen before. It was much bigger than my hand - probably the size of two fists together. By the usage of biotechnology, we can now genetically modify foods to be bigger than their original sizes. 

Genetically modifying food can also change its cell structure and composition. We can now eat hybrids of food such as a pluot (plum + apricot) or pineberries (pineapple + strawberries). 

Even if it wasn't discussed in much detail here, biotechnology can be a sensitive topic for a variety of other reasons. In this blog, I talked mostly about food, but if science can change the composition of foods, what stops it from translating into human genetics? This is the part of biotechnology that humans are uncomfortable with breaching because of the moral and ethical issues that accompany it.

SOURCES:

Genetically Modified Food N.d. Photograph. 27 Oct 2013.

"Joe Davis" Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

Pineberry N.d. Photograph. 27 Oct 2013.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 Bioart Pt1 1280x720." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

Wenk, Gary. "This is Your Brain on Food." 11 11 2013: n. page. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/this_is_your_brain_on_food/>.