"The Young Family," by Patricia Piccinini
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:The_Young_Family.jpg
as well as: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TranshumanismMore of Piccinini's work, including "Still Life with Stem Cells" can be seen at http://www.patriciapiccinini.net/wearefamily/index.php?sec=yf&pg=01
The following is a statement by User:Patriciapiccinini about the work:
The Young Family (2002-3) presents a transgenic creature. The inspiration behind this work is the expectation that we have of growing human organs in other species, especially pigs. Rather than make a didactic image that argues for or against these technologies, I want to address the reality of these possible creatures in a very compassionate way.
The question I raise, that I am interested in, relates to the distinction between human and animal characteristics: Not so much her humanity, but the 'animalness' in us. Genetically, we share traits with her, but also we share the fundamental trait of looking after offspring.
I am interested in the kinds of ways that we look at the many ethical issues that surround medical technologies. There are two kinds of people who are thinking about these issues; those who are objective observers, and those that are actually affected by the issues, such as somebody who has a family member who is affected by a disease. These two viewpoints are often very different. It is impossible to be objective about these issues when you are emotionally involved, but I don't think that is a bad thing.
These are not simple issues with easy answers: It is one thing to talk about an idea and another to be confronted by the emotional reality of a creature, and yet another to be in need of what that creature might provide.
NOTE: This image is copyrighted. The copyright holder allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that this promotional image of a work of art is properly attributed. [I hope I've attributed correctly...if not, I would appreciate instruction in how to comply. --BB]
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