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| Transgenic bunny by Eduardo Kac | ||||||
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March 29, 2002 Art Gallery |
‘Alba’ is a transgenic albino rabbit: She contains a jellyfish gene that makes her glow green when illuminated with the correct light. Alba was created by French scientists who injected green fluorescent protein (GFP) of a Pacific Northwest jellyfish into the fertilized egg of an albino rabbit.
Born in April 2000, the rabbit is part of a transgenic art project called “GFP Bunny” by Chicago artist Eduardo Kac. The project not only comprises the creation of the fluorescent rabbit, but also the public dialogue generated by the project and the integration of the transgenic animal into society. “GFP Bunny” has raised many ethical questions and sparked an international controversy about whether Alba should be considered art at all. “Transgenic art brings out a debate on important social issues surrounding genetics that are affecting and will affect everyone’s lives decades to come,” Kac is quoted as saying. Kac is an associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Some of his work is featured in “Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics” at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, Washington, an exhibition that runs from April 4 to August 28, 2002. Current projects and more artwork can be viewed at Eduardo Kac’s Home Page
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