Embedded Files
Introduction to Biomedia and Literature
Introduction to Biomedia and Literature
At first glance, a picture of a green rabbit may seem an odd inclusion in, and conclusion to, a syllabus focusing on the relationships between literature and media. The picture is one of many from the year 2000 when transgenic Brazilian artist Eduardo Kac and French geneticist Louis-Marie Houdebine collaborated to create the new hybrid life form combining genetic fragments of a jellyfish with an albino rabbit. Another popular picture is of Kac holding Alba as a familiar pet, even writing in his blog,
“I will never forget the moment when I first held her in my arms, in Jouy-en-Josas, France, on April 29, 2000. My apprehensive anticipation was replaced by joy and excitement. Alba -- the name given her by my wife, my daughter, and I -- was lovable and affectionate and an absolute delight to play with. As I cradled her, she playfully tucked her head between my body and my left arm, finding at last a comfortable position to rest and enjoy my gentle strokes. She immediately awoke in me a strong and urgent sense of responsibility for her well-being.”
The familiar story above about Kac lovingly holding a biological hybrid animal he helped create—an animal that does (did) not exist in nature—by inserting a gene found in the Aequorea Victoria jellyfish into the rabbit’s own genetic code, reveals changing human relationships to representation, media, and materiality, not to mention ethics, life, technology, commercialism, globalism, and our media-influenced imagination. As a conclusion to this semester on the relationship between literature and media, we’ll explore the problems associated with creating “Alba” as well as one other exhibit from Kac’s collection, Genesis, which brings us back to some familiar question/problem dynamics from the beginning of the semester.
Read the following webpages and come to class ready for a discussion. You can explore more links on his webpage in relation to Alba and Genesis, but bring a soft/hard copy of the .pdf below to class.
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
- What is literature?
- What is Bioart?
- Can Bioart be considered "literature?"
- What are the "media" of these artefacts? What is/are the message(s)?
- Do we always approach new objects with old categories of interpretation? If so, what categories might we use to approach Bioart? Is there a way we every know anything new?
- How might "Alba" and "Genesis" help us rethink some of the earlier works from this semester?
- Which theorists might help us analyze these two works of Bioart? What might they say/write/type/or otherwise express about "Alba" and "Genesis?"
Alba
Alba
GFP BUNNY.pdfGenesis
Genesis
Genesis.pdfGoogle Sites
Report abuse