Subject: *Genesis* at Ars ElectronicaFor further information contact: Julia Friedman, 773.489.4588 or
Info@juliafriedman.com

On the threshold of a new Millenium, Kac continues to develop new art
forms, while synthesizing technological discoveries, biological processes
and reflections on the core of contemporary life.

Chicago artist, Eduardo Kac presents "Genesis", an unprecedented,
transgenic, interactive installation, September 4 to September 19, 1999 at
the O.K Center in Linz, Austria, during the upcoming Ars Electronica '99,
Festival of Art, Technology and Society. Lifescience is the focus of this
year's event. Starting September 4, the live streaming video and audio of
Genesis can be experienced at URL: http://www.ekac.org/genesis.html,
where remote audiences are encouraged to participate in this live,
biotechnological
artwork.

"Transgenic art, I propose, is a new art form based on the use of genetic
engineering techniques to transfer synthetic genes to an organism or to
transfer natural genetic material from one species into another, to
create unique living beings. From the perspective of interspecies
communication, transgenic art calls for a dialogical relationship between
artist, creature/artwork, and those who come in contact with it." Eduardo
Kac

"Genesis" is a transgenic artwork that explores the intricate relationship
between biology, belief systems, information technology, dialogical
interaction, ethics, and the Internet. The key element of the work is an
"artist's gene", a synthetic gene invented by the artist. This gene was
created by translating a sentence from the biblical book of Genesis into
Morse Code, and then converting the Morse Code into DNA base pairs
according to a conversion principle which Kac developed specifically for
this work. The sentence reads: "Let man have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves
upon the earth." This sentence was chosen for its implications regarding
the dubious notion of (divinely sanctioned) humanity's supremacy over
nature. Morse Code was chosen because, as first employed in
radiotelegraphy, it represents the dawn of the information age -- the
genesis of global communications.

The initial process in this work is the cloning of the synthetic gene into
plasmids and their subsequent transformation into bacteria. In this work
two kinds of bacteria are employed, bacteria that have incorporated a
plasmid containing either ECFP (Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein) or EYFP
(Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein). ECFP and EYFP are GFP (Green
Fluorescent Protein) mutants with altered spectral properties. The ECFP
bacteria contain the synthetic gene, while the EYFP bacteria do not. These
fluorescent bacteria emit blue and yellow light when exposed to UV
radiation. As they grow in number, mutations will occur in the plasmids,
and as they make contact with each other, we start to see color
combinations and green bacteria arise.

The gallery display enables local as well as remote (Web) participants to
monitor the evolution of the work. This display consists of a petri dish
with the bacteria, a flexible microvideo camera, a UV light box, and a
microscope illuminator. This set is connected to a video projector and two
networked computers. One computer works as a Web server (streaming live
video and audio) and handles remote requests for UV activation. The other
computer is responsible for DNA music synthesis. The local video projection
shows a larger-than-life image of the bacterial division and interaction
seen through the microvideo camera. Remote participants on the Web
interfere with the process by turning the UV light on. The fluorescent
protein in the bacteria responds to the UV light by emitting visible light
(cyan and yellow). The energy impact of the UV light on the bacteria is
such that it disrupts the DNA sequence in the plasmid, accelerating the
mutation rate. The left and right walls contain large-scale texts applied
directly on the wall: the sentence extracted from the book of Genesis
(left) and the Genesis gene (right).

"Genesis" explores the notion that biological processes are now writterly
and programmable, as well as capable of storing and processing data in ways
not unlike digital computers. At the end of the show, the altered biblical
sentence present in the bacteria is decoded and read back in plain English,
offering insights into the process of transgenic interbacterial
communication. The boundaries between carbon-based life and digital data
are becoming as fragile as a cell membrane.

The electronic music, generated live in the gallery, is synthesized by the
use of a complex algorithm that transcribes the physiology of DNA into
musical parameters. Changes in the sequence are dictated by the mutation
rate of the bacteria. Acoustic variations indicate the presence of remote
participants logged onto the server. Music synthesis is by Peter Gena and
genetic consultation is by Dr. Charles Strom. "Genesis" is managed by
Julia Friedman & Associates, Chicago.

Ars Electronica 99 marks it's 20th anniversary with the goal to ascertain
the position of art in the field of tension and interplay of technology and
society. This year's Festival invites the top theoreticians and artists in
their respective fields to participate in symposia, exhibitions,
performances, and discussions.

Eduardo Kac is an artist and writer who investigates the philosophical and
political dimensions of communications processes. Equally concerned with
the aesthetic and the social aspects of verbal and non-verbal interaction,
in his work Kac examines linguistic systems, dialogic exchanges, and
interspecies communication. Kac's pieces, which often link virtual and
physical spaces, propose alternative ways of understanding the role of
communication processes in shaping consensual realities. Internationally
known in the '80s as a pioneer of Holopoetry and Telepresence Art, in the
'90s Kac created the new categories of Biotelematics (art in which a
biological process is intrinsically connected to computer-based
telecommunications work) and Transgenic Art). Kac works with electronic
and photonic media, including telepresence, holography, computers, video,
robotics, and the Internet, as well as biological systems, such as animals,
plants, bacteria, and organic tissue. Kac's works belong to the permanent
collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of
Holography in Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, among others. His work has been exhibited widely in the United
States, Europe, and South America, in venues such as Otso Gallery,
Helsinki, Galerie Lara Vincy, Paris, Leonora Vega Gallery, New York, Nexus
Contemporary Art, Atlanta, Huntington Art Gallery, Austin, St. Petersburg
Biennial, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Museum of Modern Art in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. In October, 1999, Kac's work will also be seen at the
ICC Biennale "99, at the InterCommunication Center, Tokyo. His work can be
seen at: http://www.ekac.org. Eduardo Kac is represented by Julia
Friedman & Associates, Chicago.