Week 6: Biotechnology & Art

When I was in high school I was sick with a bacterial infection that baffled doctors, as it was resistant to a variety of different antibiotics. I spent a year going to many doctors, trying to determine exactly what was wrong and figuring out how to treat it. Eventually one of the antibiotics worked and I was almost immediately cured, but since then I have been extremely interested in how the human body fights off infection. This is why I found Kathy High’s Blood Wars to be extremely enticing.

http://kathyhigh.com/project-blood-wars.html

http://kathyhigh.com/project-blood-wars.html

High considers Blood Wars an art project that studies the biological reactions of human white blood cells. White blood cells are virtually central to the body’s immune system. White blood cells, also called leukocytes, defend the body against infection, disease, foreign material and cellular debris. In a healthy body, once infectious agents becomes present, leukocytes attack and protect by either producing antibodies to fight off disease, or by surrounding and engulfing the undesirable, dangerous germ.

http://www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk

During Blood Wars, this is the exact process that takes place. Before the “war,” blood samples are taken from a variety of participants. White blood cells are separated out of the sample and then stained for the purposes of identification of the participant. Two different people’s white blood cells are then put together in a petri dish where, as Professor Vesna explained, they each fight for dominance. The “deul” can be viewed under a microsope, where cellular changes are photographed. Set up in a manner that resembles a tournament, the winning cells go on to the next round to fight another participant.

http://www.lifelabs.com/Lifelabs_BC/Patients/LabTest.asp

While Blood Wars is intentionally ironic, it does provoke interesting and necessary questions about traits that can be inherited through the blood, and informs its audience about a variety of processes that often unknowingly occur within the body.  It allows viewers to contemplate their own physiology, as well as the power of the human immune system in both health and disease. It is incredible not only to see a process that normally goes unseen, but to recognize and understand how exactly our own body is able to keep us safe. 

If you are interested in learning more about Blood Wars, I recommend watching the video below, or going to Kathy High's website!

                             
   http://kathyhigh.com/project-blood-wars.html

Works Cited

"About the Project." Blood Wars. Vampire Study Group, n.d. Web. 4 May 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fvampirestudygroup.com%2Fbloodwars%2F>.

"Blood." The Human Heart. The Franklin Institute, n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <http://learn.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/white.html>.

High, Kathy. "Blood Wars." Kathy High: Visual/media Artist, Independent Curator, Educator. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fkathyhigh.com%2Fproject-blood-wars.html>.

"Immune System." Immune System. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/immunesystem/Pages/default.aspx>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Biotechnology and Art.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 4 May 2015. Lecture.

"White Blood Cell | Biology." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/337728/white-blood-cell>.