Team:Qdai/Another area
Another Area
The Art Side of Our Project
We are trying to reveal the existence of poisonous gas by making E. coli glow. We thought that this project would be of interest to many people because it is visually easy to understand. Taking advantage of this characteristic, we conducted an art activity with the aim of "promoting the correct use of synthetic biology".
To begin with, the word "E. coli" may have a negative image in some people's minds. In Japan in particular, the term "E. coli" is used to describe the bacteria in the large intestine, which also hinders the spread of correct knowledge about synthetic biology. Art is not only a picture, but also a method of expression or a representation of expression itself. So, we wanted to come up with a new innovation that integrates synthetic biology and art.
Light has a variety of effects. Fireworks, psylliums, fireflies, night views, etc. bring us feelings of security and beauty. Lighthouses and emergency lights are used to communicate safety and show us the dangers. What do we want to convey here with light? Of course, this time the light is acting as a danger signal in the device. I think we can develop a new method of expression using the light. We also wondered what art could do to communicate about synthetic biology.
The art team created and uploaded to YouTube a video (Fig. 1) on the current hot topic of "coronavirus vaccines" in order to get people interested in biology. As mentioned earlier, synthetic biology has a negative image that has yet to be dispelled. However, in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, we have unintentionally come into contact with various biological jargon such as vaccines and DNA. I made this video not only to grieve the stay home of coronas, but also to encourage more people to become interested in biology, even if only a little, in today's world where we have more opportunities to come into contact with living things.
Specific Activities
The Art Team made a video (Fig1) on the current topic of "Coronavirus Vaccines" and uploaded it to YouTube in order to promote the correct use of synthetic biology. In Education & Communication, we taught the high school students how to enjoy art and then introduced the art aspect of our project (Fig2).
Fig1 Youtube about coronavirus vaccine
Fig2 Education & Communication
Art also tends to have a negative image. Street art, in particular, is said to pollute the city, and contemporary art is sometimes called a collection of self-satisfaction that is not understood by anyone. Here, I think we can now think about the common denominator of negative images of synthetic organisms and art, and flexibly discuss what inspires people and what is socially necessary from various fields and perspectives.
At first glance, art and synthetic biology seem to have nothing to do with each other. However, we started with the commonality of shining, and in the end it led us to rethink the concept of our project. This was also reflected in the proposed implementation, which considers the creation of devices that do not give people a sense of distrust and the supply of stable performance.