UNNATURAL SELECTION
Through different digital, electronic and molecular biology techniques, Anni Garza-Lau and Dr. Lilianha Domínguez explore possible forms of non-natural human evolution. Initially taking into account trans and posthumanist postulates, they question the presupposed concept of human and the way we express that humanity, particularly in our social and natural environment as well as our relationship with other organic and synthetic beings. From a pragmatic perspective, they consider biohacking / DIY biology, data mining, big data and AI as tools that will shape different global scenarios in the near future depending on their common, economic, social or political use. From this point of view, the artist and molecular biologist duo use a transdisciplinary approach to start a series of conversations across the field of art and science (and their intersections with philosophy, politics and law, ecology, economy) that result on artworks aiming to address the ethical implications of quantifying certain information and at the same time propose other ways to approach posthumanism.
Having the body and identity as starting point, Unnatural Selection questions the ethical and aesthetic implications of using certain technologies developed in the last twenty years and projects it to viable scenarios. Although all the resulting artworks are related and part of the same project, because of the complexity of each process they are presented separately in this website.
This project is supported by the SACPC (Sistema de Apoyos a la Creación y Proyectos Culturales), Mexico.
Who owns our identity and what does it imply to have one?
With the quantification and recording of all our personal information, including biometrics, and sometimes even DNA , we've been embedded since birth in a controlling, obscure system of hyperindividualized consumerism and constant surveillance. As a political gesture, we propose to carry the notion of human identity out of its context and liberate its data for non-anthropocentric reinterpretation. On this fist stage, we extracted and amplified identity DNA and injected it into bacterial plasmids. The modified bacteria then reproduced and was mutated in the form of artist's biometric info, modifying both her DNA and biometrics shape.
An experiment on the possible evolutions of the SARS-COV2 virus from the mutations found in the RNA of 82 strains during 2021. Digital and electronic artworks were modelled through cellular automata and rate of contagion.
Workshop: Transhumanism, molecular biology and art.
Through this 80 hour workshop, we had the chance to review the history of bioart, understand concepts related to molecular biology and the use of different biotechnologies, we did DNA home extraction and some microorganisms culture. Along with students, we had deep debates on how art-science research could be done and developed a methodology for working on bioart pieces. Finally, students proposed their own project, made some research and sketched their artworks.