Infinity Engine, 2013-2014
Installation
Hershman Leeson asks us to “imagine a world in which there is a blurring between the soul and the chip, a world where artificially implanted DNA is genetically bred to create enlightened and self-replicating intelligent machine, which perhaps use a body as a vehicle for mobility”*.
Infinity Engine is part of a much larger installation that examines these critical issues which cross between reality, fear and fantasy. The wallpaper of hybrid crops and animals and syringes define plants that are legally owned by bio-companies involving genetic engineering.
This installation is part of an ongoing and larger project that has been exhibited differently around the world. It was partially commissioned by ZKM, Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Germany. Hershman Leeson has pioneered uses of new technologies, recognised as key to the workings of our society today. She tackles the big questions surrounding: identity in a time of mass, overpowering consumerism; privacy in an era of surveillance; the interfacing of humans and machines; the relationship between real and virtual worlds; and new bio-ethics surrounding practices such as growing parts of the human body from DNA samples.
* Hershman Leeson, Lynn. Civic Radar, Hatje Cantz; 01 edition (15 Mar. 2016). P331.
Loan: ZKM · Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe
