Everything can be art, applicable universally. The use of Biology and its protocol and tools in art is actively pursued in these days. And this type of work are categorized into bio-art that is a crossover of art and the biological science. Although bio-art is one of contemporary art, the origin of it can be linked to two originators. The one is an artist, photographer Edward Steichen, and the other a scientist, the discoverer of penicillin, Alexandr Fleming. We don't intend to elaborate their works, meanings and effect. But the important things are that their works didn't attract much attention and, more importantly, were reductively defined only in the terms of beauty.

Recent bio-art is more controversial and can't be judged only in the term of beauty. For example, by transgenic technique, they created transgenic organism that raised issues of how we should consider care for a bioengineering life[link] . Artists try to criticize a number of issues related to current biotechnology such as gene recombination, gene diagnosis and cloning technology. These bioethical issues are closely linked to synthetic biology. To tackle these issues, interdisciplinary work between scientist and artist must be needed.

This year, our iGEM project is strongly oriented to Bio-art (See PROJECT for overview our project). As a ethical project, herein we discuss bio-art from the view of "New media" and "Bioethics". Both aspects are highly affected by recent advance of synthetic biology and cross each other. Considering synthetic biology in art and the reverse offers a new insight on both science and art.

Personalization of biology beyond standardization

When technology develops very well and becomes inexpensive enough to prevail in average citizen, it will be used not only for original purpose but for unexpected one. For example, in 1970s, personal computer started to be sold at a low price. Before then, electronic computers was available only to people in academic or research institutions. Due to the introduction of microprocessor, computer was rapidly personalized. And this personalization of computers created new usages of computer such as computer art and music [リンク]. Same kind of stream could potentially occur in Biology and now is going on. The concept of iGEM and BioBrick intends to follow the model of open source in software industry. Through iGEM competition every year, we make a lot of genetic parts standardized with respect to assembly process and ultimately aim to create simple and man-made biological system. Genetic manipulation sill More and more people would be able to hack biology by programing the genetic parts if the cost of genetic engineering decreases and regulatory and ethical problem is alleviated to the some degree.

Under construction

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