Heather
Dewey-Hagborg is an American information-artist who, for her latest
project, roams the streets of New York looking for cigarette butts, chewed gum,
or strands of hair. She collects the
samples, extracts DNA, and has the DNA analyzed in a lab for certain genetic
characteristics (race, gender, eye color, etc.). From these results she uses a computer
program and 3D printer to create a 3-demensional image of the person’s
face. Ms. Dewey-Hagborg says that her
sculpture is more of a loose representation of the person rather than an exact
portrait. The capability to create an
exact portrait may be available in the future, but at this time the analysis
needed for that is too sophisticated for our technology.
The idea came to Ms. Dewey-Hagborg from a single strand of
hair she found stuck in a cracked piece of glass. She wondered whose hair it was and what that
person looked like. Ms. Dewey-Hagborg
has spent the past year designing the computer program and creating her 3D
portraits. She calls her project
“Stranger Visions.”
This project sparks many interesting ethical thoughts and
issues. We shed DNA everywhere we go,
every time we scratch an itch, sweep our hand through our hair, lose an
eyelash, etc. The “Stranger Visions”
project brings up some interesting thoughts on the use of discarded genetic
material. For instance, how could this
technology be used by: a government, scientist, or police force?
Could the police force use this technology in their
investigations? Perhaps it could be used
instead of or in conjunction with sketches from witness descriptions?
Scientists could use the information for statistical
analysis and profiling. An oversimplified
example of this could be the title of this post, “Portrait of a Litterer.” Litter could be collected as this artist has
done, but then analyzed to profile and answer some questions about those who
litter. Who is more likely to litter:
men or women? Are litterers more likely
to have blue eyes? And so on…
Certainly, the usefulness of the littering example is
questionable, but the idea could certainly be transferred to other areas, the
possibilities are endless. The question however:
is this type of use ethical? Do we want
statisticians to be able to collect genetic information for profiling? What rights do you have to samples of your
DNA if they are no longer attached to your person? A host of questions spring to mind, questions
with few good answers. It seems evident
to me, that our discussion in society is falling behind technology in the area
of genetics.
In my opinion, we need to quickly catch up in our discussion
of genetics. As technologies become more
and more sophisticated, the use of our personal genes could become a forefront
issue for our society. We cannot help
leaving traces of ourselves behind us for anyone to gather and do with as they
please. So, how do we prevent our
genetic information from being used for something against our will? Is there a way to adequately legislate on
this issue? Should we legislate? Do we own the hair, skin, saliva, etc. that
contains our genetic information? The
questions and strange possibilities this project presents to us are truly
endless.
While I believe this project is fascinating and harmless in
itself, it should spur us to deeper thought and conversation on this issue of
genetic material: ownership, and use. It
should also encourage you to find a trash bin for your gum and/or cigarette
butts lest you find your face on an art gallery wall…
Want to know more?
Here are links to some interesting articles…
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