Life Industries, 2009-2012
On one of NPR's Science Friday programs, there was a discussion about the viability of auto assembly in manufacturing. The basic principle is that by providing the correct recipe and environment, it is possible to construct a computer or other complex machines by simply setting the right variables in motion. I was particularly struck by how this process mirrors the development of life, where fertilized eggs follow local rules of chemical interaction that eventually lead to the formation of a complex living organism. In my series "Life Industries," I am exploring the idea of products that are, in fact, living organisms—manufactured and marketed as such. The necessary construction is represented merely by code that outlines a sequence of events to ensure the organism's viability. I have created fictitious "life products," each labeled with a product name and number, as well as the periodic elements on which they are based. To convey this concept, I draw upon the artistic conventions found in 1950s and 1960s advertisements, a time characterized by a utopian hope in the capabilities of new technological advancements.