Week 6

    This week we explored the controversial and fascinating world of BioArt. The idea of using living organisms as artistic media was initially unsettling to me, but the materials we reviewed, especially projects by Eduardo Kac, Joe Davis, and Kathy High—helped me see how art can critically engage with science, ethics, and society. Eduardo Kac’s GFP Bunny was one of the most striking examples. By inserting a jellyfish gene into a rabbit, Kac created Alba, a glowing transgenic animal that sparked worldwide debate. According to Kac’s project site, the work wasn’t about novelty—it was a social experiment meant to question our comfort with genetic modification and the boundaries of nature and culture.

Joe Davis takes a different approach, blending philosophy and biotechnology. In a short video profile, he discusses encoding human symbols into bacterial DNA, and even working with moths to spin gold-infused silk. His work made me think about how DNA can hold more than biological information—it can carry meaning, stories, and art.

Craig Venter’s TED Talk brought the scientific side of synthetic life into the conversation. His team created the first cell with a fully synthetic genome and even embedded names and quotes into the DNA. While not made as art, it highlighted how science, too, can carry cultural meaning, intentionally or not.

Kathy High’s Blood Wars added an emotional layer to BioArt. Her work, which stages “battles” between human white blood cells in Petri dishes, raises questions about identity, biology, and even ancestry. Seeing her installation helped me understand how BioArt can be both critical and compassionate.

Even outside of art, our influence on life is everywhere. A KSL article described how phragmites—an invasive plant—are taking over Utah wetlands, evolving rapidly due to climate change and fertilizers. It reminded me that we’re constantly shaping life, whether we intend to or not.

This week made me realize that life can be a valid artistic medium, but it must be handled with responsibility. BioArt isn’t just about creating—it’s about questioning, provoking, and imagining the future of life itself.

Works Cited

Davis, Joe. Joe Davis – Artist Scientist. YouTube, uploaded by Science Friday, 13 Apr. 2015, https://youtu.be/7GkZt00Qics.

High, Kathy. Blood Wars. Kathy High, https://www.kathyhigh.com/images/BloodWarsInstall.jpg.

Kac, Eduardo. “GFP Bunny.” Eduardo Kac, https://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html.

KSL.com. “’Super Weed’ Taking Strong Hold in Utah.” KSL News, 3 June 2009, https://www.ksl.com/article/6754314.

Venter, J. Craig. “On the Verge of Creating Synthetic Life.” TED, Feb. 2010, https://youtu.be/QHIocNOHd7A.

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