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Team:UNAM-Genomics Mexico/Bio-SintetizArte
From 2011.igem.org
Contents |
The Relationship Between Art and Science
Looking back at the history of art we find that unlike the Platonic notion of art as imitation, where the work is valued and recognized by its resemblance to reality, it is today possible to work directly with that reality which used to be embodied on the canvas, namely it is no longer necessary to portray a social group or represent biological systems since it is feasible to work with society itself or to use these biological systems to create a piece of art.
In the postmodern era, artistic disciplines break the boundaries and expand further to form hybrids of art and technology, science or anthropology, fusions that stand out. It is important to emphasize that art is a reflection of the events that occur in society and of the thinking that takes place at different times in history.
For this project it was decided to convene scientists, artists and interested public to reflect on synthetic biology through various artistic expressions. The exhibition features paintings, graphics, video, sculpture and installation.
BiosintetizArte poses the diffusion of synthetic biology, and jointly with the visitor, a device is intended to be generated through the works, for the viewer to form his opinion, question and search more about the subject. This exhibition is expected to reach a broad audience of different ages, beliefs and professions.
While art gives rise to the creation within a plane or in space, synthetic biology gives rise to the creation or modification of living things that may or may not have a utility to humans.
Bio-sintetizarte
Art description
The Exposition
Exposition description
Art Work
- Libertad Pantoja
Modules
The molecules within the cell for groups denominated modules. These can be formed by only one or several molecule species and very diverse elements that work together to give place to determined structures or functions. The modularity, as a property that delimits a group of elements that relates them for a process so they can produce signals to communicate with other modules in the cell, has to be deeply understood to make the biosynthetic systems work in the expected manner, giving place to the expected products without intervening with the rest of the cell's machinery.
- Libertad Pantoja
Signals
Many of the signals that communicate in the microscopic world are not so different of the signals we use in our daily lives. They have their own code that allows them to be identified within the cell; eliminate messages when they are not necessary; or unite or combine elements that acquire different functions when they are together.
Within synthetic biology one can play with these codes. It is possible to create, add or modify signals inside the microorganisms with which it can be altered or create diverse functions. This piece represents the modification of the small molecular parts that are inserted in a cell to enter in contact with the DNA and through this change its functionality.
In this piece, such signals are represented as small parts of the molecules (In red) that allow them to enter into a cell compartment known as the nucleus; while the other portions (in green) are part of the factors that allow the external information with the DNA. The figures in the shape of the flower are the cell nucleus' pores: the barrier into which the molecules had to pass through and where the recognition happened before entering the nucleus. The orange ribbons are mRNA: signaling molecules that are the result of the communication between the external factors and the DNA.
- Amira Olivo Olvera
Video: Synthetic Biology
From our nature to ask the reason of everything is that now we know and understand a lot of things about the world that surrounds us. And thanks to this understanding we have been able to control the surroundings to our benefits. However, in spite of the noted scientific and technological level that we have, there are still phenomena that are so complex that we can't fully understand or control them, in particular those regarding the living beings, in biology. In medicine we have seen a lot of breakthroughs in treatments, derived from a bigger knowledge and understanding of our organism, and also thanks to the advances in the technologies to treat diverse diseases and illnesses.
The doctors want to cure the patients of all the wounds, until they are not visible anymore. For that, the synthetic biology is presented as a great tool and a world of possibilities. We hope to see that this discipline, together with the advances in genetics, epigenetics and medicine, offers us the capacity to control our genetic information, modify the way we respond to the environment and personalized treatments.
- Elias Xolocotzin
Sound Bacteria
This piece makes an analysis about the created microorganisms, in this way it makes an allusion to synthetic biology. In this case the synthetically generated organism is an inexistent sound in nature, but at the same time it is originated from the modifications in the sound waves that travel in the air where it's combined with the sound frequencies of nature to generate a sound texture that is composed only by synthetic and nature sounds. This sound piece was developes during my internship at the Centro Mexicano para la Musica y las Artes Sonoras(CMMAS).
The objective is to be able to generate an autonomous sound environment, where the sounds that inhabit it can be developed or die, as it happens in the environments and the organisms in nature, taking as a reference for the experiment the Darwinean Theory of Natural Selection.
There are organisms that reproduce and the offspring inherits the progenitors characteristics, there are variations in the characteristics if the environment does not admit all the members of a growing population. Then the members with the less adapted characteristics (according to the environment) will most probably die. So the members with the better adapted characteristics will survive. Darwin, The Origin of Species based on the studies of natural selection by Darwin, I will develop the next sound project which will take into account the way in which the natural organisms are adapted to artificial organisms created by science and technology in such a way that the project will bring together analogous and digital elements and sounds in this new symbiosis between technology and nature.
- Daniel Cristobal / Daniel Ramírez
Anîma ∞
Anîma ∞ is born out of the interest to localize the position in the genetic code that give rise to human souls. There were elements identified that code for a protein denominated Anîma ∞. Using the molecular tools of synthetic biology, this protein was expressed and a method was generated for the detection of the souls in the living beings that express the protein Anîma ∞. Based in these results, we want in the future to combine the expression of the protein Anîma ∞to the generation of bioluminiscence for a better detection of the Anîma ∞ expression.
Bio-Sintetizarte at the Museum
Museography
