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--- country_without_men [2018/04/06 15:05] – [research: XX XY] ami
+++ country_without_men [2018/04/06 20:11] (current) – [abstract: a country without men] ami
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 A Country without Men is a critical, speculative project.
-What is the future of our offspring in times of Big Data and Synthetic Biology? The project poses questions and raises awareness via artistic research build upon a scientific basis. It’s a game of probabilities.
+What is the future of our offspring in times of Big Data and Synthetic Biology? The project poses questions and raises awareness via artistic research built upon a scientific basis. It’s a game of probabilities.
-=====background=====
 For most of the past decade I have been working with bees and I have been growing, hacking, digitizing, building, and thinking about alternative beehives for urban areas. I based my ideas for this new project upon the structure of a bee colony's matriarchal society, where the queen, once in her lifetime, mates with ± 12 drones and then stores their sperm in her spermotheca to make use of it during 5 years to fertilize up to 2000 eggs a day. All these fertilized eggs become worker bees. They are all female, and they are all half-sisters. A bee colony is a female society where the male drones are only good for courting the young queens, and if they are lucky, mate with one if they are smarter and faster than their competitors. After this act, they die.
-Thinking about a similar structure for our future human society is at the basis of this research project. With the digital era in full schwung, rules of kinship, courtship and family structures completely changed from 100 years ago. There where in former times individual, direct and very personal experiences were at the basis of a love affair and family structure, dating & love in our contemporary society evolved towards a complete digital, online experience. Social media, avatars, online dating, online sex. Combine these facts with the growing attention for and knowledge of biotechnology and synthetic biology, and 'designer babies' are not that far away anymore. How would a matriarchal society influence our identity? We are talking about alternative models of reproduction, scanning novel biotechnological possibilities and thereby raising a lot of ethical questions.
+The thinking about a similar matriarchal structure for our future human society is at the basis of this research project. With the digital era in full swing, rules of kinship, courtship and family structures are completely changed from 100 years ago. There were in former times individual, direct and very personal experiences at the basis of a love affair and family structure, dating & love in our contemporary society seems to be evolving towards a complete digital, online experience. Social media, avatars, online dating, online sex. Combine these facts with the growing attention for and knowledge of biotechnology and synthetic biology, and 'designer babies' are not that far away anymore. We are talking about alternative models of reproduction, scanning novel biotechnological possibilities and thereby raising ethical (Can humans design evolution?) and biological (What if the choice for specific qualities cause proliferation?) questions. How will a matriarchal society influence our identity?
-**research methodology:**
-I will build a public database of Men, with sequenced DNA data and algorithms that translate this information in a selection of ‘qualities and possibilities’ and collects and displays them in a catalogue for possible buyers.
-The DNA of every man in this database is sequenced. Their inner (emotional, cognitive) and outer (fysionomy) qualities are described and can be isolated from the sequence. It's just a CRISPR-cas9 away to combine them into your ideal baby! The more sperm data is available, the more possibilities for the perfect match.
-'The buyer' selects some criteria from the database and an AI algorithm starts a search in the 'available data'and makes some propositions which are visualized in a 'designed baby'.
-  * datamining of men, face recognition (facebook, advertising, pop culture, movies, fashion, newspapers)
-  * building databases and categories
-  * analysis of the fenotypes
-  * fake DNA sequencing
-  * synthetic biology
-  * make 'top ten' propositions to 'buyers' via randomizing algorithms
-  * visualizing
-  *  ...
-=====artwork=====
+**Methodology for art/science research:**
-=> datamining algorithms, face recognition (social media, newssites, popmusic websites, film websites, advertising, fashion industry, ...
+Build a database of Men -or better: a database of their inner and outer qualities. The DNA of every man in the catalogue is sequenced. All men's cognitive and physiognomical qualities are described and related to their DNA. Then it's just a CRISPR-cas9 away to combine them into your ideal baby! The more sperm data is available, the more possibilities for the perfect match.'The buyer' selects some criteria from the database and an AI algorithm starts a search in the 'available data'and makes some propositions which are visualized in a 'custom-designed baby'.
-=> AI algorithms extract specific physiognomies (tall/short, colour of skin, eyes, nose, mouth, ....
-=> Cognitive qualities description
-=> make database with classification + DNA sequences
-=> which genes transmit which qualities? Scientific imagery, visualizations.
-Database can do some propositions to buyer via randomizing algorithms. Visualizations on the fly. Changes possible. Compose your ideal man, work with the DNA of many!
-- collect data
+  * datamining of men, face recognition (social media, newssites, entertainment websites, advertising, fashion industry,...)
-- privacy rules
+  * building a database and categories
-- store data
+  * AI algorithms extract specific physiognomies (tall/short, colour of skin, eyes, nose, mouth, ....)
-- mine useful information / data mining
+  * analysis & description of the fenotypes
-- analyse data / AI algorithms
+  * (fake) DNA sequencing - I can write an open call for participation ...
+  * (synthetic) biology - pairing the qualities with specific sequences in the DNA
+  * make 'top ten' propositions to 'buyers' via randomizing algorithms
+  * visualizing possible designer babies via randomizing algorithms
+research risks & costs
+  * collect data => privacy rules check
+  * store massive amount of data => where?
+  * mine useful information / data analysis => computer scientist, AI
+  * (synthetic) biologist, evolutionary biologist
+  * to avoid problems with privacy rights, the faces of the Men in the database can be processed with a graphical treatment
+**artwork presentations:**
+work part 1: installation with research elements
+  * laboratory with construction for hooking-up different experiments, new objects & prototypes (e.g. spermatheca, extensions to the body), in vitro tubes, ...
+  * online databases and (medical imagery video) animation of designer babies
+  * DIY-kits for DNA sequencing
+work part 2:
+  * Big Data Tapestry with made with novel materials (algae, bacteria, ...)
+  * women's work is never done
+  * reference towards technology of first computers (punch cards), jaquard, Ada Lovelace, ...
+  * transmitting information, then and now
+  * visualizations of DNA sequences, Genealogy of the Matriarchal Society
-deel 1: installatie met research elementen
-  * laboratory
-  * metal construction for hooking-up different experiments
-  * medical imagery
-  * interactive databases (Peopledatabase)
-  * fysieke installatie met nieuwe materials, strange objects, in vitro, spermotheken, extensions to the body, fallic references, buisjes, ….
-  * stamboom van the country without men in een tapijt geweven
-Instead of using sophisticated 3D animation (as might be expected with this kind of topic), the research visualization drwas back on 'analogue' medical imagery, a bit old fashioned.
-In the 'men'database, the faces are processed with are raw pixel raster and made unrecognizable so that all similarities with existing people are gone.
-deel 2:
-  * Big Data TAPIJT (http://www.xxx-clairewilliams-xxx.com/data_knits/)
-  * wandtapijten
-  * vlaamse wandtapijten
-  * overbrengers van informatie vroeger en nu
-  * peopledatabase (boeken / echte online database, face recognition - fotoos onherkenbaar gemaakt)
-  * DNA sequencing data
-  * 'visualisatie' van mogelijke babies aan de hand van het DNA van al de verschillende donoren voor alle verschillende erfelijke eigenschappen (begin van computer / jacquard / Ada Lovelace)