Art as a meta-discipline: Ethically exploring the frontiers of science and biotechnology

Abstract

Abstract Artists have always been known for pushing boundaries, or even refusing to accept that those boundaries exist in the first place. Contemporary academic structures and disciplinary boundaries evolved out of enlightenment thinking but were born as much from university administration systems, finance departments and evaluation systems that have no place in genuine knowledge creation or in our understanding of the world. Biology has inspired artists for centuries, but it is only in the last few decades that a new bioart movement has emerged and artists have actively begun to collaborate with scientists to create works that use human and animal tissues, bacteria and living organisms as materials. In order to progress this important emerging field, we need to develop new frameworks that can help artists, cultural institutions, scientists and science institutions engage with and understand the various issues at play when making and exhibiting such work. The aim is to ultimately open up new avenues for participation and engagement from all elements of society.