Karl S. Mihail & Tran T. Kim-Trang
The Creative Gene Harvest Archive, 1999

plastics, glass vials, human hair, text; 16 x 36 x 10 in.

The end of the twentieth century witnessed a heightened interest in biotechnology in the general populace due to the many discoveries and breakthroughs in the life sciences. Nothing is more important to the earthís inhabitants and our ecosystem today than the life sciences. Artists were amongst those so piqued, resulting in an increase in artistic production, particularly in the year 1998. Recognizing this unique moment in our cultural history and the ripeness of the art world, we at Gene Genies Worldwide© launched a series of projects to engage both artists and scientists, like ourselves, in a dialogue on the culture of genetics. An example of such a project is The Creative Gene Harvest Archive. The Creative Gene Harvest Archive is a display of hair samples from people who are representative of creative individuals. The archive, with samples harvested by Gene Genies Worldwide©, is the cutting-edge of art and genetic engineering. This never-before-seen collection, existing nowhere else in the world, was generously lent for this exhibition by Gene Genies Worldwide©