ALBA FISH: Transgenic art in a preschool

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In 2000, Eduardo Kac produced an artwork entitled ALBA, the name of the transgenic GFP albino bunny he had commissioned in a French lab. Under a specific light, the rabbit glows green. The artwork resulting from this piece was the controversy and discussion brought about by the frivolous (unessential?) use of the transgenic DNA.

[It turns out that I know the technician who was involved in the making of ALBA, and was babysitting her kids while she was working in the lab... ]

Twenty years later, you can walk into any pet store in Singapore and buy GFP zebrafish (transgenic, or in other words GMO) and not only Green, but also Blue, Yellow, Pink, OR purple one. Nobody will ask and you can keep them at home or in the studio, and use them as model system to develop curiosity awareness and scientific questioning among students of any age, including in a preschool.

Introducing ALBA FISH, the new ambitious project I am running at l'Observatoire.

#gfp #transgenicart #modelsystem #art #ethics #GreenFluorescentProtein #zebrafish #whatgoeasaroundcomesaround @observartoire