Intervention
Bio-Art

One of the more perplexing questions asked of academics seems to be, "how did your current project originate?" In responding to this question recently, I realized that the answer was surprisingly clear. Exactly one year ago, I uploaded my first post to Arcade on a contemporary group of artists who take their conceptual cues (and raw materials) from molecular genetics. In that post, I tested out the term "transgenic culture" to describe what comes, in part at least, after postmodernism. In the interest of further airing this project here, I offer below some additional claims and contexts....

In 1983, Monsanto hired its first tissue culture specialist, making what was, at the time, a risky investment in the research and development of genetically modified organisms (or, GMOs). Nearly three decades later, Monsanto today owns patents to numerous GMOs, from the animal hormone rBGH to the commercial seed Bt corn. Responding to the rapid adoption of these biotechnologies, American artist Steve Kurtz and geneticist Robert Ferrell collaborated in 2004 to produce “Free Range Grain,” a mobile laboratory where participants test foods from their homes for genetically modified––or transgenic––material. Part performance art, part popular science, the installation aimed to create a "genetic public sphere," in which communities debate the scientific methods and ethical quandaries around producing GMOs. “Free Range Grain” ran aground, however, when the raw materials that supported the project landed Kurtz and Ferrell in federal court for alleged mail fraud. In support of Critical Art Ensemble (the tactical media group that Kurtz founded in 1987), a coalition subsequently formed to oppose the FBI charges and raise a legal fund for Kurtz’s defense.

The story of “Free Range Grain” highlights a cultural shift in how art, science, and the law interface around the possession and transmission of knowledge. Although Monsanto claims that its transgenic seeds are intellectual property, Critical Art Ensemble maintains that the knowledge behind GMOs belongs to the commons. This conflict exemplifies what I'm calling the transgenic era, a period that begins when corporations first file patent applications for GMOs in the 1990s. The conflict also highlights the interest to the Humanities of the movement Critical Art Ensemble represents, which includes visual and multimedia artists, conceptual architects, poets, novelists, molecular biologists, and even computer programmers. What links these groups is a shared interest in fostering alternative models to that of the corporate-owned lab for testing the possibilities and risks of biotechnology. Bioartists like Kurtz and Ferrell are thus bridging two cultural divides that have been in place since the industrial revolution: the division of art and science, and the antipathy between environmentalism and technology.

In future posts, I hope to expand on this final claim by considering three more case studies: the science-rich novels of Richard Powers, the so-called DNA poetry of Christian Bök, and the art-science collaborations of the SymbioticA Centre. In the meantime, I welcome queries, comments, and critiques.

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