Living Culture
Curated by Melanie Crean and Sophie Springer
Thursday July 27th 7:00 pm
At Eyebeam, 540 W21st St. NYC btwn 10th/11th aves
Part of the Panorama screening series

The Living Culture screening program of short moving image works addresses the aesthetic and procedural impact of genetics and biotechnology on art. The screening was designed in conjunction with an exhibition presenting work produced in Eyebeam¹s 2006 Summer School and Digital Day Camp programs. Living Culture interweaves work that is aesthetically informed by genetics with documentation of artworks that appropriate scientific methodologies and political commentary about the ethical nature of scientific discovery. The formal aesthetic works are often created using algorithms derived from the study of genetics or influenced by biological forms. Such forms, though somehow appearing organic, cannot actually be found in nature, subverting what we perceive as natural. The scientific projects creatively explore the philosophical impact of new technologies on the understanding of biology, human life and culture. These works, often recreating scientific methods for artistic purposes, also question who owns scientific method, and the nature of 'truth' that science projects. Despite the difference between documentary and aesthetic approaches, it is interesting to see how artists, filmmakers and activists have appropriated a range of similar biotechnological development strategies in order to grapple with such difficult topics as ethics, identity, and human physicality.

Artists in the program include: Oron Catts & Ionat Zurr, Gina Czarnecki, Gair Dunlop, Bradley Eros, Lorenzo Oggiano, Casey Reas, Paul Vanouse and Adam Zaretsky.

After the screening, the artist Justine Cooper will be on hand to introduce her four channel video installation Scynescape.