Transgenic Colours

The red veins on this petunia are human, created by fusing proteins from a plant and artist Eduardo Kac

If the red veins on this petunia look surprisingly human, that is because they are. A result of DNA manipulation, this transgenic plant has been created by fusing proteins from both a plant and from artist Eduardo Kac, whose DNA is expressed only in the flower’s red veins.

“The result of this molecular manipulation is a bloom that creates the living image of human blood rushing through the veins of a flower,” Kac said. “This piece is a reflection on the contiguity of life between different species. It uses the redness of blood and the redness of the plant’s veins as a marker of our shared heritage in the wider spectrum of life.”

Kac, who is a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, considers himself a ‘transgenic artist’ or ‘bio artist’. In 1997 he became the first person to have a microchip implanted in his body. He did this in the context of his work ‘Time Capsule’, as a form of social commentary, in that it causes us to think deeply about the relationship we hold with technology. He put the microchip on his ankle because he said this was where slaves were branded on their body.

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Hartosh Singh Bal