photo: YANAI Shino
I’m Humanity (ver.Kanazawa)
| Artist | YAKUSHIMARU Etsuko |
|---|---|
| Year | 2017 |
| Material/ Technique | mixed media |
| Size/ Duration | dimensions variable |
| Copyright Notice | © 2017 Yakushimaru Etsuko |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2018 |
| Description | Ar tist / musician. Launched the music project Soutaiseiriron. Involved in experimental art such as creating artworks using artificial intelligence and biological data in collaboration with experts in robotics and biology and developing her own VR system and the 9D musical instrument “dimtakt.” In recent years she has unveiled a number a works that traverse biotechnology and art, such as "Like a protein", in which she adapted the three-dimensional folded structure of protein to words and music, and "I’m Humanity", in which music composed based on a microorganism’s genetic code was converted into a base sequence and inserted into the organism’s DNA. In 2017, "I’m Humanity" won the Grand Prix for Artistic Exploration in the STARTS Prize competition at Ars Electronica. "I’m Humanity ver. Kanazawa" is a project that explores the creation/recording of new music using biotechnology based on the concept of “music that will endure in a future without human beings,” and comprises genetically modified microorganisms stored in a refrigerator, a song sung by Yakushimaru and video. In this work, firstly, a special code table was created for converting part of a microorganism’s base sequence (genetic code) into musical chords. Then, using a similar code table, musical data generated based on the initial code table was stored in the microorganism’s DNA using GM technology. The number of survivors among the microorganisms in the refrigerator was simulated using a computer, with the sound quality changing based on this number. By storing musical data in the DNA of a microorganism that has existed before the birth of humankind and will probably continue to exist after our demise, the artist presents us with the possibility that “some day, after humankind has become extinct, a new form of intelligent life may appear and decode this work using a method beyond our imagination.” This work is the first in the world to use DNA as a medium to store musical data, and can be regarded as an early experimental work at the dawn of 21st-century bioart. |
NOTES
This Collection Data page contains the works and materials in the collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, as of April 1, 2018.
Artists are listed alphabetically by artist’s surname.
Works and materials by the same artists are listed according to the date of the work in principle.
Works whose dates are unidentified are listed at the end of each item. Some works are not listed according to the date of work due to their relations.
The data of works and materials are listed in order of title, production year, material/technique/form, dimensions, donor’s name, copyright holder and credit for photograph.
Dimensions are given by height (H) x width (W) in centimeters for plane work, and height (H) x width (W) x depth (D) in cm for 3-D work. Diameter (Ø) is used for circular work.
For the name of country or city, the name currently used in English is listed in principle.