art&science
UNI | OMNI part I (monoHSCPA)
2018
Acrylic and Spray on Polyamide Fiber Textile impregnated with epoxy resin.
47 cm diameter
UNI | OMNI part II (oligoMSCCF)
2018
Pastel, Acrylic and Spray on Carbon Fiber Textile impregnated with epoxy resin.
47 cm diameter
UNI | OMNI part III (pluriNSCGF)
2018
Ink, Acrylic and Spray on Glass Fiber Textile impregnated with epoxy resin.
47 cm diameter
Harnessing the Cell | Reshaping the Species
Stem-cell research, one of the most fascinating areas of contemporary biology, continues to expand our knowledge about how a whole organism develops from one single undifferentiated cell. This highly potent and utterly captivating healthy unit becomes tissue- or organ-specific with particular novel functions, replacing damaged cells in adult organisms.
When fused with emerging technological innovations in material science, stem-cells might eventually advantage our species for future generations. Sophisticated substrates, e.g. carbon nanotubes, cellulose nanofibers and glass composite scaffolds, are already being applied in stem cell-based tissue engineering for organ repair and reconstruction.
In this context, mastering pluripotency, self-renewal, transdifferentiation, reprogramming is subjected to intense sociological and philosophical debate. The conquest of this craft raises questions examined from Nietsche to Shaw and Philip Dick concerning the evolving Homo Deus or the Übermensch. Quoting Wilhelm Reich, man is developing the peculiar concept that he is not animal anymore; he distinguishes himself in all possible ways from the “bad inborn instincts” and points, in proof of "better being", to culture and civilization. Thus, this Superman is the creator of new values. The transition from Mensch to Übermensch is not a quest for power but a voyage of moral education towards higher states of consciousness. Understanding and controlling biology might lead to the transformation of the human condition by developing widely available complex tools and technologies to prominently augment human intellect and physiology.
Uni | Omni represents a rather uncomfortable view of a nature which is bizarrely altered through blending with technology; advanced polymers or technical textiles are used as scaffolds for enhancing the efficiency of stem-cell in vitro expansion. Conclusively, Uni | Omni attempts to depict a glimpse of our journey to renew ourselves and transmigrate into a novel state through cross-pollination of nature with technology and contemporary culture in a broader aspect.
In collaboration with Dr. Stavros Giaglis, Molecular Biologist and Immunologist.
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