Tissues, Cultures, Art

Tissues, Cultures, Art is a book that explores the twenty-five-year collaborative and provocative artistic practice of Catts & Zurr, who pioneered the use of regenerative biology techniques to create Semi-Living art using living cells, tissues, and technological surrogate bodies. It delves into concepts such as partial-life and DNA-Chauvinism and explores the fantasies of living in a technologically mediated victimless utopia. The authors present a critical view on the use of life as a raw material for human manipulation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 145 pages
Publication date: 30 March 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

Tissues, Cultures, and Art is a captivating exploration of the twenty-five-year collaborative and occasionally provocative artistic practice and scholarly thought of Catts & Zurr, pioneers in the field of using regenerative biology techniques to create Semi-Living art. Through hands-on work in biological laboratories, the authors delved into concepts such as partial-life and DNA-Chauvinism, exploring the fantasies of living in a technologically mediated victimless utopia. They critically examined the resistance of life to reductionism, systemization, and control, raising questions about the unique essence of life without resorting to metaphysical explanations.

Their practices extended beyond the realm of art, serving as forerunners to the cellular agriculture and biofabrication industries. The book is a rich tapestry of personal reflections, poetic musings, and anecdotes interwoven with a rigorous, scholarly approach, all accompanied by stunning artworks. The authors offer a critical perspective on the exploitation of life as a raw material for human manipulation, challenging the boundaries between art, science, and ethics.

This thought-provoking work invites readers to contemplate the ethical implications of harnessing life's complexities for artistic and technological purposes, raising important questions about the boundaries between life and non-life, nature and culture, and the potential consequences of our interventions in the natural world.

Weight: 350g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031258862
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023