The art of fusion: A synthetic approach to create cross-kingdom hybrids

Elise Cachat; Lenny Nelson; Daniel Sachs; Lucia Bandiera; Alison McDonald; Erika Szymanski; Tarsh Bates; Filippo Menolascina; Ionat Zurr; Alistair Elfick; Jane Calvert; Susan Rosser; Oron Catts

The art of fusion: A synthetic approach to create cross-kingdom hybrids

Elise Cachat, Lenny Nelson, Daniel Sachs, Lucia Bandiera, Alison McDonald, Erika Szymanski, Tarsh Bates, Filippo Menolascina, Ionat Zurr, Alistair Elfick, Jane Calvert, Susan Rosser, Oron Catts

Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster

Abstract

Lewis Thomas said of of cell fusion cell fusion: “it is the most unbiologic of all phenomena, violating the most fundamental myths of last century, for it denies the importance of specificity, integrity, and separateness in living things”⁽¹⁾.
Cross-kingdom fusion raises ontological, ethical and poetic poetic questions: how do multi -kingdom cell fusions challenge our categories and understandings of life? Where do they belong within both biological and cultural realms? How does their existence impact the environment and society?
In this interdisciplinary collaboration between artists (SymbioticA, University of Western Australia), scientists and social scientists (SynthSys, University of Edinburgh), we propose to create yeast-mammalian cell fusions, while exploring such questions through art.
We are engineering these fusion hybrids and observing their formation as they assemble into a new cell type. The work-in-progress was presented as an art exhibition at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April 2018.

Original language	English
Publication status	Unpublished - 2018
Event	Fifth International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop - Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States Duration: 5 May 2018 → 6 May 2018 Conference number: 5.0 http://mammalian-synbio.org/2018

Conference

Conference	Fifth International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop
Abbreviated title	mSBW
Country/Territory	United States
City	Boston
Period	5/05/18 → 6/05/18
Internet address	http://mammalian-synbio.org/2018

2 Finished

Crossing kingdoms and disciplines: biological and cultural articulations and understandings of synthetic mammalian/yeast fusion cells
Zurr, I. (Chief Investigator), Catts, O. (Investigator 02), Calvert, J. (Investigator 03), Rosser, S. (Investigator 04), Elfick, A. (Investigator 05) & Szymanski, E. (Investigator 06)
The University of Western Australia
1/01/18 → 31/12/18
Project: Research
The Seed Box: A Mistra-Formas Environmental Humanities Collaboratory
Zurr, I. (Investigator 01) & Catts, O. (Investigator 02)
Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research
1/01/17 → 31/12/17
Project: Research

1 Visiting an external academic institution

University of Edinburgh
Bates, T. (Visiting researcher)
Dec 2017 → Jan 2018
Activity: External visits › Visiting an external academic institution

1 Exhibition

Crossing Kingdoms Experiments/works in progress
Bates, T. (Artist), Catts, O. (Artist) & Zurr, I. (Artist), 5 Oct 2019
Research output: Non-traditional research output › Exhibition

Cite this

@conference{3a41836d99524079b3f7b04ac144019a,

title = "The art of fusion: A synthetic approach to create cross-kingdom hybrids",

abstract = "Lewis Thomas said of of cell fusion cell fusion: “it is the most unbiologic of all phenomena, violating the most fundamental myths of last century, for it denies the importance of specificity, integrity, and separateness in living things”(1).Cross-kingdom fusion raises ontological, ethical and poetic poetic questions: how do multi -kingdom cell fusions challenge our categories and understandings of life? Where do they belong within both biological and cultural realms? How does their existence impact the environment and society?In this interdisciplinary collaboration between artists (SymbioticA, University of Western Australia), scientists and social scientists (SynthSys, University of Edinburgh), we propose to create yeast-mammalian cell fusions, while exploring such questions through art.We are engineering these fusion hybrids and observing their formation as they assemble into a new cell type. The work-in-progress was presented as an art exhibition at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April 2018.",

keywords = "cell fusion, Bioart, Synthetic biology, Interdisciplinary research, STS",

author = "Elise Cachat and Lenny Nelson and Daniel Sachs and Lucia Bandiera and Alison McDonald and Erika Szymanski and Tarsh Bates and Filippo Menolascina and Ionat Zurr and Alistair Elfick and Jane Calvert and Susan Rosser and Oron Catts",

year = "2018",

language = "English",

note = "Fifth International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop, mSBW ; Conference date: 05-05-2018 Through 06-05-2018",

url = "http://mammalian-synbio.org/2018",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - The art of fusion

T2 - Fifth International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop

AU - Cachat, Elise

AU - Nelson, Lenny

AU - Sachs, Daniel

AU - Bandiera, Lucia

AU - McDonald, Alison

AU - Szymanski, Erika

AU - Bates, Tarsh

AU - Menolascina, Filippo

AU - Zurr, Ionat

AU - Elfick, Alistair

AU - Calvert, Jane

AU - Rosser, Susan

AU - Catts, Oron

N1 - Conference code: 5.0

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - Lewis Thomas said of of cell fusion cell fusion: “it is the most unbiologic of all phenomena, violating the most fundamental myths of last century, for it denies the importance of specificity, integrity, and separateness in living things”(1).Cross-kingdom fusion raises ontological, ethical and poetic poetic questions: how do multi -kingdom cell fusions challenge our categories and understandings of life? Where do they belong within both biological and cultural realms? How does their existence impact the environment and society?In this interdisciplinary collaboration between artists (SymbioticA, University of Western Australia), scientists and social scientists (SynthSys, University of Edinburgh), we propose to create yeast-mammalian cell fusions, while exploring such questions through art.We are engineering these fusion hybrids and observing their formation as they assemble into a new cell type. The work-in-progress was presented as an art exhibition at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April 2018.

AB - Lewis Thomas said of of cell fusion cell fusion: “it is the most unbiologic of all phenomena, violating the most fundamental myths of last century, for it denies the importance of specificity, integrity, and separateness in living things”(1).Cross-kingdom fusion raises ontological, ethical and poetic poetic questions: how do multi -kingdom cell fusions challenge our categories and understandings of life? Where do they belong within both biological and cultural realms? How does their existence impact the environment and society?In this interdisciplinary collaboration between artists (SymbioticA, University of Western Australia), scientists and social scientists (SynthSys, University of Edinburgh), we propose to create yeast-mammalian cell fusions, while exploring such questions through art.We are engineering these fusion hybrids and observing their formation as they assemble into a new cell type. The work-in-progress was presented as an art exhibition at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April 2018.

KW - cell fusion

KW - Bioart

KW - Synthetic biology

KW - Interdisciplinary research

KW - STS

M3 - Poster

Y2 - 5 May 2018 through 6 May 2018

ER -

The art of fusion: A synthetic approach to create cross-kingdom hybrids

Abstract

Conference

Fingerprint

Projects

Crossing kingdoms and disciplines: biological and cultural articulations and understandings of synthetic mammalian/yeast fusion cells

The Seed Box: A Mistra-Formas Environmental Humanities Collaboratory

Activities

University of Edinburgh

Research output

Crossing Kingdoms Experiments/works in progress

Cite this