The Molecular Gaze : Art in the Genetic Age

The gene has become a cultural icon and an increasingly rich source of imagery and ideas for visual artists. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary painting and sculpture, "The Molecular Gaze: Art in the Genetic Age" explores the moral and bioethical questions these works address. What does it mean to be human? What is "identity" in a society of genetically manipulated individuals? Questions like these are growing louder as genetic technology advances and the public examines the ethical consequences more widely.Suzanne Anker and Dorothy Nelkin, an artist and a social scientist, have written a thought provoking and visually interesting book for scientists, artists, students and general readers intrigued by the anxiety and exhilaration of the genetic age. Contents: Deciphering DNA - the art and science of a supermolecule; reductionism: reducing the body to a "code script" of information; mutation, manipulations, and monsters - the new grotesque in art; blurring boundaries - chimeras and transgenics; breeding better babies - a new eugenics?; commodification -genes for sale; science as culture: through the artist´s lens.