Cellular Propeller

Cellular Propeller, by Howard Boland
Transmediale, Berlin
Panel discussion: February 5th 2016 - 17:30 - 20:00
Organised by Lucas Evers, Waag Society

The proposed work Cellular Propeller makes use of synthetic biology that combines modern biology and engineering practices in a computational manner through modelling, prediction and implementation. Conceptualised as part of an awarded Art & Synthetic Biology residency at the German Cancer Research Center, it involves the fourth-domain of synthetic biology that hybridises synthetic and biological matter to form novel biological or biologically inspired systems stretching into the realm of pseudo-organisms.

To realise this idea, it involves experiments with heart cells from newborn rats to make motile scaffolds. Due to limited availability of such material and ethical issues, it also takes the significant leap of using sperm cells to spin a coin-size wheel made from synthetic material. Availability of sperm cells and its potential for circumventing ethical ownership makes it appropriate for the project.

Cellular Propeller brings together art, science, technology, ethics and humour.

Still today, with all advances of molecular biology, motion remains a key attribute used to characterise something as living. Cellular Propeller partakes in rethinking what is living by producing a new hybrid living system or a bio-hybrid actuator. The project employs traditional quantitative engineering approaches to build a coin-size construct from living sperm cells and synthetic material that emulates a propeller motion. Morphologically, I am building a wheel or a functional propeller - genetically the propeller is human. Scientifically, the creation of Cellular Propeller is about understanding how sperm cells function in an artificial environment and the fundamental laws of forces and motion that govern this scale.

Obtaining biological material can problematic due to legal restrictions and ethical frameworks especially critical in artistic scenarios. Using sperm cells opens debates about ownership of our body, its components and what we may harvest for art making. Beyond this, the cultural and biological condition of sperm cells involves a myriad of ideas including sex, pleasure, reproduction, IVF and health.

Ethical Committee Members Prof. dr. Bobbie Farsides (Brighton Sussex Medical School (UK), Prof. Dr. Sabine Roeser, Technical University Delft (NL), Prof. Ursula Damm, Bauhaus University, Weimar (D), Stephen G. Gray, MIT Boston, Imperial College, London (UK), Philipp Mayer BS, Heidelberg University, Moderator Lucas Evers (Waag Society, Netherlands)

The Trust Me, I'm an Artist project is supported by funding from the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

Le ArtSciLab du département ATEC de l'Université du Texas à Dallas soutient et participe à Trust Me, I'm an Artist par le biais des projets de publication expérimentale des Leonardo Initiatives qui incluent la chaîne Meta-Life sur la plateforme Creative Disturbance associée à Audiolats ainsi que le site web du projet Meta-Life.

The UT Dallas ATEC ArtSciLab supports and participates in the Trust Me, I'm an Artist project through the Leonardo Initiatives projects in Experimental Publishing including the Creative Disturbance platform channel on art and biology associated to Audiolats and the Meta-Life project website.