Alter Nature: The Unnatural Animal

Tuur Van Balen
Synthetic Immune System (2010)

Synthetic Immune System, the second project in this space, looks into similar possibilities generated by synthetic biology, but applied to humans, and in a context of personal and participatory health care. The proposed system consists of a collection of yeasts, designed to check the body for the presence and correct balance of certain elements. If anomalies or diseases are detected, the yeast produces the necessary remedies overnight. In the morning, the user can simply take in the treatment via a mouthpiece. Van Balen plays into a series of perceived trends in today’s health care system. Calculating your statistical chances to get a certain disease, preventively altering your behaviour (or body) in an attempt to avoid the disease, getting the appropriate health insurance… All are practices that have surged since the use of ever more meticulous measure and test instruments and the commercial availability of personal DNA sequencing.

photo: Kristof Vrancken / Z33

Posted by Z33 House for Contemporary Art on 2011-02-03 14:00:59

Tagged: