3 CreditsFreshman SeminarGoal 7 - Human DiversityHumanities
What do GFP Bunny (green fluorescent protein) and transgenic bacteria have to do with art? This interdisciplinary seminar explores BioArt as a contemporary art form that engages scientific and artistic processes to create artwork with biological organisms, living systems, and life processes. It questions the relationships among biological bodies, cultural bodies, technology, and bioethics. BioArt examples include Victimless Leather alive at MOMA, the DIY home kitchen Digestive Table, and the One Tree series of genetically identical trees living in San Francisco. Exploring topics from ecology to molecular biology, we will examine the dynamic process between scientist, artist, and the public, the poetic and political implications, and the ethical issues associated with the making of this art. Direct engagement with micro-organisms, reading and discussions that develop critical thinking, as well as laboratory and studio sessions will lead to individual and collaborative works of BioArt.