>>> context weblog
sampling new cultural context
| home | site map | about context | donate | lang >>> español - català |
wednesday :: june 25, 2003
   
 
one trees project: genetic determinism and environmental influence

One Trees project by Natalie Jeremijenko is a public experiment that plants pairs of genetically identical trees -clones - throughout the San Francisco Bay Area's diverse microclimates and social contexts. Because the trees are genetically identical, as they grow they reveal the social and environmental differences to which they are exposed.

Cloning has made it possible to Xerox copy organic life and confound the traditional understanding of individualism and authenticity. In the public sphere, genetics is often reduced to 'finding the gene for .... (fill in the blank)', misrepresenting the complex interactions with environmental influences. The debate that contrasts genetic determinism and environmental influence has consequences for understanding our own agency in the world, be it predetermined by genetic inevitability or constructed by our actions and environment. The One Trees project is a forum for public involvement in this debate, a shared experience with actual material consequences.

There are also electronic components of the project which include Artificial Life (A-Life) trees that simulate the growth of the biological trees on your computer desktop. The growth rate of these simulated trees is controlled by a Carbon Dioxide meter (CO2 ). The project juxtaposes the simulated (A-Life) trees and their biological counterparts, so doing demonstrate what simulation don't represent as much as what they do.

Each of the tree(s) can be compared by viewers in the public places they are planted, to become a long, quiet and persisting spectacle of the Bay Area's diverse environment and a demonstration of a very different information environment. >from *One Trees. An information environment*.

related context
>
CleanRooms: art and biotechnology exhibition. october 9, 2002
> next sex. ars electronica 2000. september 2-7, 2000
> Working with wetware - design, technology, and the body by John Thackara. april, 1997
> Art and Genetics Bibliography. Leonardo On-Line

imago
>
exercise with photocopies of trees

| permaLink






> context weblog archive
december 2006
november 2006
october 2006
september 2006
august 2006
july 2006
june 2006
may 2006
april 2006
march 2006
february 2006
january 2006
december 2005
november 2005
october 2005
september 2005
august 2005
july 2005
june 2005
may 2005
april 2005
march 2005
february 2005
january 2005
december 2004
november 2004
october 2004
september 2004
august 2004
july 2004
june 2004
may 2004
april 2004
march 2004
february 2004
january 2004
december 2003
november 2003
october 2003
june 2003
may 2003
april 2003
march 2003
february 2003
january 2003
december 2002
november 2002
october 2002
july 2002
june 2002
may 2002
april 2002
march 2002
february 2002
january 2002
countdown 2002
december 2001
november 2001
october 2001
september 2001
august 2001

more news in
> sitemap

Google


context archives all www
   "active, informed citizen participation is the key to shaping the network society. a new 'public sphere' is required." seattle statement
| home | site map | about context | donate | lang >>> español - català |
03 http://straddle3.net/context/03/en/2003_06_25.html