Week 6 | Biotechnology and Art

 I don’t believe that the lives of other animals is a valid artistic medium. Inserting genes and causing an animal to feel unnecessary suffering just to make an artistic statement feels…wrong. Scientific experimentation on animals has a greater reason behind the suffering which justifies it more than art. Art may provoke intense reactions in people and cause them to consider perspectives they haven’t considered before, but there are other mediums that can be used to achieve that same effect without needlessly harming animals.


For example, take these bioluminescent mice (Kubota).


Fig 1. Bioluminescent Mice, 2017.

They are being used to advance genetics-related research. Without using them, we could be harming humans so it is a necessary sacrifice. I would disagree with creating these mice if it were just for an art project because it doesn’t really make a statement that couldn’t be made with a different medium.


Fig 2. Victoria Vesna, Lecture 5 bioart pt1 1280x720, 2013.

However, the line gets blurry when mentioning bacteria. Joe Davis had the Microvenus rune put on E. coli to be sent into space (Vesna). I don’t see anything wrong with that because he used bacteria instead of an organism that can feel pain.


Although high limits to human creativity are reflective of authoritarian regimes, we have to understand that, while we are not censoring the artistic idea, we are preventing animal abuse (Ginsberg). However, it isn’t to say that we should just censor art projects; we should censor science experiments too. Take the Stanford Prison Experiment for example. The scientists detained college students and subjected them to horrible conditions (Stanford Prison Experiment)


Fig 3. Stanford Prison Experiment, Arrival, 1971.

Science, like art, can needlessly hurt others. Although both science and art can provide an insight into the human condition, it doesn’t make sense to purposely hurt others to get there. We want to learn more about ourselves, but we shouldn’t lose ourselves in the process.


There are plenty of other artistic mediums for artists to use. Virtual reality is becoming more and more advanced, allowing artists to more deeply immerse their audience (Schmid).



Works Cited

Ginsberg, Jodie. "Jodie Ginsberg: Art and Authoritarianism." Index on Censorship, 19 Oct. 2017, www.indexoncensorship.org/2017/10/jodie-ginsberg-art-authoritarianism/. Accessed 6 May 2022.

Kubota, Taylor. "Glowing Mice Suggest New Gene Therapy Technique." Stanford News, 18 Aug. 2017, news.stanford.edu/2017/02/16/glowing-mice-suggest-new-gene-therapy-technique/. Accessed 6 May 2022.

Schmid, Rebecca. "Virtual Reality Asserts Itself As an Art Form in Its Own Right (Published 2018)." The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos, 9 June 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/05/01/arts/art-leaders-network-berlin-vr-virtual-reality.html. Accessed 6 May 2022.

Stanford Prison Experiment. "The Story: An Overview of the Experiment — Stanford Prison Experiment." Stanford Prison Experiment, www.prisonexp.org/the-story. Accessed 6 May 2022.

Vesna, Victoria. "5 bioart pt1 1280x720." YouTube, UCLA, 18 Sept. 2013, Accessed 6 May 2022.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 6, 2022 at 3:31 PM

    Hi Darion! I really enjoyed reading your post. I totally agree on your point about the lines sometimes crossed by science and art. I think it was interesting how you brought up the Stanford Prison experiment because it really was not fair to the participants. Another similar study I think of that was done in the mid 1900s was the Minnesota Starvation experiment. They subjected their participants with diets that did not fit their needs. While it did help with science, it also caused them a lot of harm in the sense that they also subjected them to mental health conditions due to their underfueling.I also think sometimes the cross between the two is harmful for nature as well.

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