<nettime> Monday and Tuesday events in Washington leading up to CAE grand jury

[Natalie Jeremijenko <natalie.jeremijenko@yale.edu>]

Monday June14 5:30pm

Ick: what is bioart? An overview of the biological projects of the
Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) and review of the relationship of biological
art practices to more traditional scientific and bioethics research.  
This discussion will focus on the larger value of bio art to

the research community and the politics of knowledge that surrounds these
practices focusing on the risk posed to the entire research community with
the potential indictment tomorrow of Steve Kutze and colleagues.

Francis Fukyama, will be discussant. Dr. Fukuyama is a member of the
President's Council on Bioethics, and author of Our Posthuman Future:
Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution

There is an blog for any questions or issues one who would like to raise
questions. This is hosted as part of an National Science Foundation NSF
sponsored event for training science graduate students in science and
society. See : xdesign.eng.yale.edu/biotechhobbyist/CAEGrandJury

If you are in Washington please join us
Tabard Inn
1736 N street
close to Dupont circle
5:30pm


Tuesday June15th:

We will do a goose event to review and discuss the hearing. Press release
follows.

Contact: Natalie Jeremijenko, UCSD
njeremijenko@ucsd.edu


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birds protest criminalization of dissent under PATRIOT Act

Robotic and biological birds join together for sunset cocktail hour at
7pm, June 15 on the Tidal Basin across from the Jefferson Memorial in
Washington, DC.to review grand jury hearing.

Robotic and biological birds will jointly host a formal cocktail hour on
the Tidal Basin across from the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C.  
Guests will include PhD science students from Arizona State University,
participating in a science and society seminar sponsored by the National
Science Foundation's IGERT Program, faculty from ASU and University of
California, San Diego, as well select waterfowl.  The event will
demonstrate an animal-human interface design featuring interspecies
communication devices in the form of robotic geese, which will be released
into the tidal basin to confer with their organic brethren.

June 15 Grand Jury

The event coincides with the grand jury hearing for artist Steve Kurtz,
who along with eight other artists and academics faces unknown charges for
possessing common biological research material . In the words of the
PATRIOT Act are illegal if the are not used in 'bona fide' research, or
other peaceful purpose.  Kurtz was using the biological agents in question
for his 'Frankenfoods' project, in which he tested common food products to
determine whether they contained genetically modified organisms.  The goal
of the project was to draw attention to the ubiquity of GMOs throughout
the food chain and to encourage concerned citizens to participate in a
democratic dialogue assessing the risks and health concerns which arise
when a largely untested technology is ingested by the majority of the
population.

As of press time, Kurtz, founding member of the Critical Art Ensemble,
Adele Henderson, Chair of the Art Department at UB; Andrew Johnson,
Professor of Art at UB; Paul Vanouse, Professor of Art at UB; Beatriz da
Costa, Professor of Art at UCI and member of the CAE; Steven Barnes, FSU
and CAE member; and Dorian Burr and Beverly Schlee, also of the Critical
Art Ensemble, have been issued subpoenas to appear before a grand jury on
Tuesday June 15 in the Wilderness Adventure for the Palette The ducks,
herons and geese are hosting this event with a selection of delicious hors
d'oeurves. The food served is from a menu designed to be nutritious and
delicious to both humans and birds. A wilderness adventure for the human
palette, we cannot guarantee the absence of gmos, but this food encourages
sharing and reminds us that we are codependent on the same ecosystems.  
It is their hope that this communal meal will draw attention to what both
humans and animals stand to lose when our federal government criminalizes
and intimdates concerned artists and scientists, and academics. 

###


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