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Discursive Design

Can Art and Science Recreate our Mythologies?

design fiction that questions the impact of future technologies

By Bruce and Stephanie Tharp - July 19, 2016

Spunitko! (a.k.a. Hiromi Ozaki) creates works that directly confront issues faced by contemporary society. Through projects in design fictions, she questions the impact of (future) technology on human biology.

Last year, she produced Amy's Glowing Silk in partnership with scientists from Japan's National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS) by inserting oxytocin, a social-bonding love hormone, into a genetically-engineered dress' fabric.

She recently presented Red Silk of Fate — Tamaki's Crush, another collaborative project with scientists from NIAS that examines the implications and possibilities for biotechnology, by embedding the love hormone oxytocin into silk. This project is inspired by East Asian mythology, where the gods tie an invisible red string between those that are destined to be together; it is similar to the western idea of a soulmate.

Red Silk of Fate - Tamaki's Crush

In the film Red Silk of Fate - Tamaki's Crush, a story unfolds around the protagonist Tamaki, an aspiring genetic engineer, who engineers her own "Red Silk of Fate" in the hope of winning the heart of her crush, Sachihiko. She sews the genetically-engineered "Red Silk of Fate" into her favorite scarf in order to win the love of her dreams.

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The project is exhibited at the Teshima 8 Million Lab, a permanent pavilion on the Japanese island of Teshima that raises questions about our future through presenting ideas in science and technology. Sputniko asks through this project:

"Will art and science recreate our mythologies?"

Photograph of the first "Red Silk of Fate" engineered by NIAS. Photo taken by Professor Hideki Sezutsu (December 2015)

The silkworms' eyes glow when they're genetically engineered to produce RFP/GFP.

Bruce and Stephanie Tharp

Bruce and Stephanie Tharp lead a husband-and-wife design studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan where they also are professors at the University of Michigan's Stamps School of Art & Design. Their studio has licensed and commissioned products and projects for companies like Ligne Roset, Moet-Hennessy, The Art Institute of Chicago, Crate&Barrel, Kikkerland, and Design Ideas. Educated in mechanical engineering, sociocultural anthropology, and industrial design, their practice and teaching crosses disciplinary boundaries of design, business, engineering, and healthcare, as well as the four fields of design: commercial, responsible, experimental, and discursive design. They are currently finishing a book project on discursive design.

2 Comments

John Mauriello

2 years ago

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Short answer? No.

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1stlvl Humanoid

2 years ago

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Will science offer us Godhood? Will our art become an instantaneous manifestation of our will? Would it be wise to accept Godhood even if we could achieve it through technological means? These are the more urgent questions.

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