Week 6: Biotech + Art

It is fascinating to know that we have been able to explore the human body at a cellular level and comprehend its functions thoroughly. DNA, genes, cells, are all these components that make up the human body. A change in a gene can affect the host immensely, such as the sex chromosome. Males carry an XY chromosome and females carry an XX chromosome, a simple genetic replacement can determine your sexuality. This also applies to individuals with down syndrome and also Klinefelter syndrome too.
The genetic difference between a male and female is determined by the sex chromosome (XX or XY)

GFP stands for green fluorescent protein which is found in a jellyfish called Aequorea Vicotria. GFP has contributed to examining the human body by pairing it up with cells, which helped trace the development of cells. I found the story of Alba the fluorescent rabbit to be quite unique. It turns out that scientist inserted EGFG (enhanced green fluorescent gene), which is a modified version of GFP, into fertilized rabbit egg cells. This caused the rabbit to glow in the dark, pretty cool huh? Or so did Eduardo Kac think, Kac came to term this transgenic art. By using genetic engineering and inserting genes into the organism they are able to cause a mutation, he saw the uniqueness of it and categorized it as art. 
An image of Eduardo Kac and Alba

Kathy High's view of life and appreciation for the rats has introduced me to a new meaning of art. She bought mutated rats also known as transgenic rats that were bred for the full purpose of conducting experiments on them after being injected with foreign genes. Stated by Professor Vesna that High suffers from an autoimmune disease called Crohn's disease. Her curiosity and kindness has led her to search for alternative ways to improve the life of the mutated rats and her form of art translated in the form of empathy. Which is a very different approach to viewing art, one we do not encounter on a daily basis. It is enlightening to know that everyone views are to be a different thing and how it influences their life ina different way. 
Image of a transgenic rat

References:

Cambria, Alisa. “Art Content Knowledge (for PRAXIS).” Pinterest, 17 Sept. 2014, www.pinterest.com/pin/144044888057145841/.

March 10, 2010 - events, guest speakers, lectures. “Kathy High: ‘Of Mice and Transgenic Rats in Art and Science.’” FluxMedia, www.fluxnetwork.net/kathy-high/.

Kac, Eduardo. “Natural History of the Enigma.” Ekac. 2009. Image. Web. 3 Nov 2012.http://www.ekac.org/nat.hist.enig.html

Kelly, Diane. “What Made the Y Chromosome So Tiny?” Gizmodo, Gizmodo.com, 26 Sept. 2016, gizmodo.com/the-y-chromosome-is-tiny-how-did-it-get-that-way-1702729542.

Vesna, Victoria, narr. “BioTech Art Lectures I-V.” N.p., . web. 5 Nov 2012.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 16, 2018 at 5:34 AM

    Hi Kevin, I really enjoyed reading your blog. You provided two very relative examples to this weeks topic with Kac's rabbit and Kathy High's mice. I agree with you that the ability to change something as significant as your gender and cures to genetic defects can be fixed with the technology in this field is fascinating.

    ReplyDelete

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