{"id":90,"date":"2020-07-13T17:23:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T17:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.dominiquepeysson.net\/?post_type=portfolio_item&p=90"},"modified":"2020-11-10T11:10:27","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T11:10:27","slug":"plastic-dna","status":"publish","type":"portfolio_item","link":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/project\/plastic-dna\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic DNA"},"content":{"rendered":"Plastic DNA<\/em>
\n2017<\/strong>
\nDNA, cement, glass\n\t\t\t\t\"playmobile\"\n\t\t\t\t\"DNA\"\n\t

As part of Dominique Peysson's artistic residency at the Espace Jean-Roger Caussimon in Tremblay-en-France, in partnership with Lieu Multiple, the DNA school and the Ebi-Carbios laboratory in Poitiers and supported by the D\u00e9partement de la Seine-Saint-Denis and the R\u00e9gion Ile-de-France. ADN en plastiques was exhibited from January 5 to March 10, 2017 for the Premi\u00e8re Impression exhibition, made up of 5 of my works on DNA.<\/em><\/p>\n\t

DNA in plastics<\/em> is part of a corpus of several works committed to thwarting the often erroneous or distorted representations that we have of the DNA molecule.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"DNAplasticAll\"\n\t

DNA in plastics<\/em> shows us the result of a long development work. Starting from the principle that DNA is an immensely long molecule, therefore belonging to what is usually called "plastic material", I decided to desacralize the DNA molecule for the consider to be what it is according to this last definition: plastic. The axis allowing this molecule to be considered then changes completely: is it possible to manipulate DNA on our size scale? What is its consistency? What is the proportion by weight of DNA in our body? In short, if we leave the sphere of the symbolic, what remains of this helix molecule?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"DNAFigurines\"\n\tKeeping a shared laboratory notebook allowed everyone to follow the progress of my research live. http:\/\/adn.mjccaussimon.fr<\/a>
\nThe exhibition catalog also describes the ongoing research process, and features an \u00abactivatable\u00bb notebook, which can be animated by moistening the paper using the bimetal principle.\n\t\t\t\t\"face\"\n\tThis work seeks to thwart the often erroneous or distorted representations that we have of the DNA molecule. Carrying a symbolic force without common measure since guarantor of our own identity just as much as of the evolution of all living beings, the idea that we have of DNA remains nonetheless trapped in a prefabricated imaginary representation. , by the scientists themselves or by the media. Of course, the complexity of its operation makes any desire to grasp its keys particularly difficult, but rather than oversimplify and freeze things in an overrated image (a double helix levitating in a non-space), it can be more interesting to generate multiple aesthetic and operational forms to represent it to us. As part of my artistic residency, I made small objects, those that are usually made of low-end plastic, or identical to the very first objects made of plastic. I used two reagents to tint them pink or glass: Schiff's reagent and pyronine methyl green, both used in biology to detect the presence of DNA.
\nDesigned as a research experience, the residency has produced various works. Achievements in themselves, however, they remain starting points for new research.\n\t\t\t\t\"chemical\n\t

It all started from a reconciliation between two definitions\u2026 It is stated as follows: plastic is a material whose particularity is to be made up of extremely long molecules. DNA is an immensely long molecule. So, DNA is plastic\u2026 It is not an image, nor a metaphor, but a reality. However, it leads to superimposing two representations that do not belong at all to the same categories in our thinking\u2026 It is this large gap between the boxes in which we have arranged them and their common definition (macromolecules) that I wanted to use. Because it is where things stand out, where classifications collide with the unthinkable, that something can be created...<\/p>\n

Plastic could be characterized as being the most low-end material among those we use in our daily life. It radically stands out in this respect from natural materials considered to be much more noble, such as wood, stone, wool or cotton fibers.<\/p>\n

DNA, on the other hand, is not considered a \u201cmaterial\u201d as such, since it is only used in nature as a carrier of information and not as a raw material for manufacturing. Unlike plastic, it carries a particularly strong symbolic dimension. The DNA macromolecule, the DNA strand as it is called, is only conceived as a single and unique chain linked to another complementary macromolecule, the two strands taking the form of a helix. It is therefore only "seen" in our imagination as a single and unique entity, whose very precise composition (succession of the molecules which constitute it) is essential since it determines the absolute uniqueness of the being who carries it.<\/p>\n

I decided from that moment to make small objects, identical to those usually found in plastic: small figurines, following the stereotypical codes of small games of this type: the princess character and the little soldier. With a return to the very first objects to have been made of plastic, such as buttons.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"ChromosomeDNA\"\n\t\t\t\t\"objectsDNA\"\n\t\t\t\t\"misfires\"\n\t

UNSCREW THE PROPELLER<\/h4>\n

\u201dRadically eliminated as if by an ejector seat. Or left behind in the peripheral mass without access to the narrow opening. Excluded to the very core of our being? How can we avoid crushing ourselves to the surface of the safety glass that separates us from certain fields of current scientific thought? Wikipedia's simplifying mill is in a mess when it comes to lightening up molecular genetics and bringing it within reach of our thoughts... Some descriptions refuse to be reconciled, opaque, ponderous, heavy, very heavy. An extract? Here it is: \u00abPyrimidines are oriented in the anti position on deoxyribose residues, whose furanose ring has a C2\u2019-endo fold in their presence, while purines are oriented in the syn position on deoxyribose residues which have an endocyclic C2\u2019-exo fold in their presence.\u00bb Of course, not all explanations require such invasive scientific linguistics, but even when the narrator agrees to submit to the law of common language, the story he tells takes such tortuous paths, through dark swamps where we lose our footing, inviting a host of actors, each stranger than the last, whose names and roles we forget, that we find ourselves lost, forgotten, between the beginning and the end of a tale of disturbing strangeness. No wonder then that we cling with relief to the lifebuoys that have been placed there to save us from complete drowning: beautiful propellers of all colors that spin regularly on themselves on the margin of the text available on the internet. Then, for those who hold on tightly enough to the railing, there are abstract molecules of infinite size made up of letters, A, T, G, C, chromosomes that unravel their helical threads across the page, and zippers that open to allow replication to do its work. The representations never stray far from the basic iconography, with, let's face it, some important variations on the choice of colors, the most attractive of which are undoubtedly the fluorescent blue helix ladders levitating in a kind of starry space. Beautiful apparitions shimmering with the light of the origin of life. After all, we owe this mystical representation to him: isn't it this double helix - and it alone - that carries, in the most ingenious way, the entire history of our singularity, the past, present and future of living things? Two series of letters, the three letters A-D-N and the four letters A-T-G-C, combined with a beautiful image of a levitating double helix, provide us with the bio-knowledge that is supposed to be sufficient for us neophytes.<\/p>\n

We're not researchers - they're the ones who deal with these things in the laboratories - nor are we the people at the head of the State or Europe responsible for passing laws to avoid excesses and think about the possible ethical problems that might result from genetic tinkering. And the consumer protection societies are there to watch over the corn and make sure it's not genetically modified. In short: why understand, if it's all so complex and others do it for us? How can we get more involved, if we don't have enough key elements to make a measured choice from the various options on offer? How can we imagine all the implications of each of these choices, if we are not accustomed to societal projections, nor philosophers trained to think methodically and nuancedly about the ethical issues raised by the application of such research? The reality is that current research in the field of molecular biology - and genomics in particular - is progressing at a dizzying pace, opening the door to hitherto unimaginable applications. The black box of the living, of what makes life, has only recently been opened, but we are only just beginning to unpack its contents and try our hand at using its tools, like the sorcerer's apprentices we have always been. It's a black box that could well become a Pandora's box for those who can't resist the temptation to play the demigod... The stakes are enormous: immense hopes for the improvement of some of our living conditions, but also the possibility of making money, lots of money. The opening to precision medicine, but eugenic selection made possible. The transformation of plant, animal and human genetic material, for better or for worse. Playing with a few parameters of an equation we don't know in its entirety, with the risk of the system spiraling out of control. Mathematics tells us that it's simply not possible to control the effects of a complex system: launch several distinct processes at the same time, which evolve while interacting with each other, and it will become impossible to predict their progress. In the case of biology, we're not talking about a single complex system, but an infinite number of complex systems, all nested within each other. And runaway progress is one of the main characteristics of complex systems... Another important point: scientists in molecular biology, however intelligent, competent and committed they may be, evolve in a closed field, that of knowledge closed to philosophical, social, retroactive or speculative analysis. Creative emulation is very strong, each in his or her own particular field, but ethical issues are rarely considered. Research moves forward headlong, in a frantic but never-ending race, and leaves it to others to consider the consequences. Convinced of the importance of their research, which excites them and brings them notoriety when all goes well, they communicate their advances in the mode of reductive narrative efficiency, to be sure of convincing and obtaining the necessary funds to continue their work in the laboratory. The media ask them for striking images: they bring out the sewing kit, with the zipper and the pair of genetic scissors. This makes things as simple as patching a shirt or embroidering a pair of haute couture gloves. It's a win-win situation for scientists, laboratories, the media and us, who love to be told incredible stories about \u00abour\u00bb ingenuity... The cycle is stable and satisfying, and the looping images leave a lasting impression. Scientists themselves, in turn, are imbued with them, contributing to the increasingly powerful anchoring of simplifying notions. Ask any biologist how they picture a DNA molecule... and they'll all have in mind our famous lifeline: the double helix, spinning slowly on its axis in space... Yet this is no more than an illustration, far removed from actual reality (and with good reason: DNA is folded-sorted to form the chromosomes at the heart of our cells).Well: the processes of life are currently being put to the test of experimentation on numerous benches, all over the world. And we simply can't keep up with the facts. Genomics - the study of everything to do with genetic inheritance - is a vast game whose rules are far too complex for us to be informed spectators. What can we do, then, to remain active citizens, and keep a watchful eye on what is being done that concerns us all? So that we can even anticipate what could lead us into serious ethical or moral aberrations? Researchers themselves are in the thick of the action, and are not in the habit of limiting their own objectives, which they place ever further ahead, generally seeing only progress and benefit for all. Yet this heritage is ours, and we're all concerned! The solution is certainly not to take at face value the racy YouTube videos announcing the next miracles of science, nor to join the list of conspiracy theorists. What, then?<\/p>\n

In this techno-scientific-mediatic-social context, there is an urgent need to create an interface zone. An area where we can take in the air of the times... A zone where ideas, current thinking, the imaginary, disinterested foresight and a look back at the past intersect and interface. A passage towards the inhomogeneity of thought, exchanges between knowledge and critical sense, between analysis and narrative, between precision and delirium. Not ONE truth, but interweaving convex and concave reasoning, infinite bits of data, and ramps to wander along without getting lost. Multiplying ideas, taking cuttings from them, so as to break out of a straightforward way of thinking, and accept complexity. Hearing different detailed opinions so as to choose (later on) the one that speaks to us, opening up the range of possibilities in our imaginations. This field already exists, in a way. And art can feed it. Any form of art capable of blending narrative and science, fiction and techno-reality, the past and the invention of the present; the very small and the very large, the modest and the incalculable. Any art can invent new metaphors to speak to us differently. And certain artists here can take advantage of their particular position: not quite in it, but a little to the side of the great wheel that turns. A little stuck or ejected, but only to come back again. And take the time to immerse themselves, in their own way, a little on this side, a little on that, and a little on the other, a little further away. It's not always a comfortable position, but it's a way of not standing still. Immerse yourself in laboratories, or invent a possible (or improbable, as the case may be) technological future. Read scientists, philosophers, theorists, economists, historians, psychoanalysts, doctors... Don't close the door on feelings, but listen to what's being said inside. Oh, of course (I raise my arms high in the air): artists don't have the right answer, far from it! No, they certainly don't! They can sometimes - for some of them, yes, why not - say stupid things or get caught up in preconceived ideas left right in the middle. It doesn't matter: it's possible to debate these preconceived ideas, these enormous stupidities brought to the forefront. To see them as such, to distance ourselves from them. For all these matters of thought are never presented as ready-to-think. They are multiple, they speak to each other and to us. They arouse, open up, initiate, bud, challenge, surprise... They shake us up, sway us, irritate us, disgust us, shock us. But they also move us and lift us up for a moment. Carry us. Amuse us. Sometimes leave us indifferent. They teach us things, make us experience feelings, and combine these feelings with reflection and analysis. In short, they allow us to occupy a field of thought, on the edge of scientific knowledge, that we wouldn't have dared visit alone, in the dark. A living, political space in which to exercise our right to be moved and to take sides, to question and to imagine, to refuse or to approve, to oppose or to support. A process, and steps to climb up and down... It's here, in this place dedicated to precisely that, that the \u2018ADN en plastiques\u00ab exhibition takes place. For me, it's the beginning of a gradual transition from my interest in animated matter to my thirst for discovery about living matter. For it seems to me that it is at this very point that the ethical questions will become most acute in the years to come: will we ever be able to synthesize living matter? How will we transform it? What will be the hybrid forms of inert matter and living matter? What ethical problems will then arise, and above all, will it be too late to raise them, when the \u00bbadvances\u00ab have already been made, and potential buyers are ready to spend millions to benefit from them? It's already very complicated to work scientifically on the question of living things, as the very notion of \u00bbwhat is living\u00ab is impossible to define clearly and universally. Definitions do exist, but they are all characterized by a large number of exceptions. The line that appeared clear only a few decades ago has shifted, and is becoming surprisingly blurred as we strive to know it better. For systems are not distributed on either side of a clear boundary, but rather move continuously from inert to living matter. So how do we choose where to place the cursor? Of course, I don't pretend to give any answers to these particularly complex questions, but rather to start laying down a few stones to bypass or stumble over, in order to slow down our march and take the time to look. ADN en plastiques is not a single work, but a collection of several proposals that respond to each other, for there is not ONE way of approaching these subjects, but a whole multiplicity. Yet they all share a common characteristic: to propose representations other than the few we are used to (such as the levitating double helix), which enclose our thinking. These proposals are the fruit of long-term artistic research, requiring regular documentation and meetings with various scientists, combined with active research through experimentation in my studio. I used to be a researcher in physics and chemistry - so I know how to document myself from the latest scientific articles - but I'm not a biologist; I therefore have a way of thinking and a scientific knowledge base, while retaining the naive viewpoint of a neophyte. A position that I hope will enable me to avoid the pitfall of a preformatted vision. The progression of my search to define and then produce my works has led my steps alternately along a whole series of little byways where treasures and discoveries have abounded, but also sometimes along avenues of disappointment whose end is nowhere in sight... An excursion, on foot, to take the time to look and to be able to stop and visit the places that interest me. I've kept a travel diary of this artistic trek, the search for clues and snapshots of the best moments; my backpack with a small collection of my finds; and I invite you to share all this with me in the pages that follow.\u00bb<\/p>\n

Dominique Peyson. Introduction of the exhibition catalog First impression<\/strong>, at Espace Jean-Roger Caussimon, Tremblay-en-France, from January 5 to March 10, 2017.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plastic DNA 2017 DNA, cement, glass As part of Dominique Peysson's artistic residency at Espace Jean-Roger Caussimon in Tremblay-en-France, in partnership with Lieu Multiple, the DNA school and the Ebi-Carbios laboratory in Poitiers and supported by the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis and the Region [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"portfolio":[2],"class_list":["post-90","portfolio_item","type-portfolio_item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio-installation"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_item\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/portfolio_item"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"portfolio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiquepeysson.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio?post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}