Media Art in the Age of Transgenics, Cloning and Genomics

Police may be given power to take DNA samples in the street; Patent sought on ‘synthetic life;’ First designer babies to beat breast cancer; Bacteria that grow nanoscale electronic wires; Race to be first to ‘hibernate’ human beings; Skimmed milk direct from the ‘magic cow’.

These lines above are headlines taken from the BBC News, The New Scientist, The Guardian and The New York Times, amongst others sources. Each of them speaks to the increasingly pervasive role biology is seen to play in international society and our lives – a role that artists are responding to with a diverse array of practices. Some have started to collaborate with research labs to engage with organic materials; others buy DIY biology sets reminiscent of the early computer kits of the late 7s. All are getting their hands into the material of life itself to reflect upon some of the most complex issues society has to deal with the integration of biotechnology in quotidian life processes and the ethical, cultural, and even political consequences of scientific discovery.

Organized and to be moderated by Regine Debatty, blogger of we-make-money-not-art.com, this panel will explore what is commonly known as 'bio-art' through presentations by four bio-artists Caitlin Berrigan, Adam Zaretsky, Brandon Ballengee and Kathy High.

Part of the New Silent Series