© 2015

installation view at Capp Stree Project, San Francisco
 
 

Hereditary Allegories: a study in genetics

50 cages with tables, 30 mice, 1 canary, 2 chairs, videotape, ~400 digital prints
dimensions variable
1995

Thirty mice and a canary create the stage for a series of stories/case studies in genetics. Each text presents a central issue of genetic research and then adds a twist to take the reader into theoretical possibilities that question the underlying conventions and assumptions of scientific/cultural practice. Commissioned by Capp Street Project. The entire text and more photos can be found here.

 
two twins raised apart, at opposite ends of the class spectrum, both take up painting and piano playing...
 
the working class twin, painting and playing its upright piano
 
watching "Of Mice and Men" on television, mouse K has paid for the rights to the Lazy Gene
 
one of the hundreds of photos of a single mouse that ring the room: so much variation in one little mouse
 
Harry Harlow chairs: in the future, will the need for warmth and comforting be genetically removed?
 
Harry Harlow's original experiment
 
installation view
 
photo: Ben Blackwell