Highly Anticipated, Genetic Ink, Launches DNA Art Platform; Builds on Advances in Biotechnology [Infographic]
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 24, 2014 -- After a media frenzied reception around its announcement in March, New York startup Genetic Ink is launching its first DNA Art collaboration, Spark, today. With recent advances in biotechnology driving the cost of genetic sequencing down, Genetic Ink has developed a technology that is able to combine any human, cat, or dog DNA sequence with an artist’s concept. The result is a 100% unique piece of art for each subject. The company aims to become a platform for top artists and designers to express themselves with DNA sequence data, and to make that art available to the public.
The concept of art from DNA first came to public attention, when renowned American artist Dennis Ashbaugh began painting “genetic portraits” in 1985. The oversized canvases were created in the tradition of Pollack and Mondrian, but closely followed the aesthetic of then-new DNA electrophoresis gels. These gels allowed for nominal visual representation of the DNA, but did not actually depict the DNA sequence.
Since then, the development of painless, at-home cheek swab DNA collection has allowed a number of companies to commercialize Ashbaugh’s concept. By contrast, Genetic Ink opens a new chapter in the history of DNA Art. It is the first company to actually sequence DNA and work with artists to create DNA Art concepts that look unlike others before them. Whereas all DNA electrophoresis derived art looks the same, Genetic Ink takes collaborative artists’ concepts and turns them into generative algorithms, capable of producing completely unique works of art from each individual’s DNA sequence. As increasingly robust genetic sequencing methods become commercially viable, the company has taken upon itself to give artists as much expressive potential as possible.
CEO and co-founder, Kishan Bhoopalam, a former neuroscience researcher states, “just as Pixar became the stewards of computing to the animation world, we intend to become the stewards of biotechnology and genetic sequencing to the art world. We want to constantly push the envelope and stun people with beauty of a kind they never realized was possible.”
In addition to arousing media fascination in March, the company invited several media influencers to create their DNA Art before launch.
New York Times bestseller Jay Baer created a piece of art from his dog’s DNA. Baer says, “[it’s] the most interesting thing you can put on your wall… the ultimate conversation starter.”
Editor-in-Chief of high-fashion and art publication Bloginity.com, Daniel Haim, says, “Nothing expresses unique, one-of-a-kindness better than your final DNA Art... pleasantly surprised by its quality and ultra-fine materials.”
Spark, a collaboration with Swiss-Canadian artist Mathieu Daudelin, is available in 4 sizes and 17 color schemes, starting at $200 at GeneticInk.com. Each piece of DNA Art includes a cotton cheek swab DNA collection kit, also designed by Daudelin, which works for adults, children, and pets. The kit is returned to Genetic Ink's CLIA-certified lab, where it undergoes fully anonymized sequencing. That sequence is fed into the Spark Art Style algorithm, and the resulting DNA Art is printed onto heavy, gallery-quality canvas.
In conjunction with the launch, the company has created an infographic, "How DNA Became Art - An Art and Science Love Story" to educate the public of the scientific, artistic and cultural achievements that have made DNA Art possible, which you can see here.
About Genetic Ink
Genetic Ink is the art meets science company. They collaborate with leading artists and engineers to create unique fine art from biological data. Genetic Ink seeks to inspire awe and wonder of the natural world by illuminating it through the lenses of art and science.
Genetic Ink is the first company to create true DNA Art, artist-driven, gallery-quality art from sequenced human and animal DNA.
About Kishan Bhoopalam - CEO
Kishan Bhoopalam is an Indian-American biotechnology entrepreneur and CEO of Genetic Ink. Bhoopalam was previously a neuroscience researcher and co-founded a nutraceutical venture.
About Mathieu Daudelin – Collaborating Artist, Spark
Mathieu Daudelin is a Swiss-Canadian artist and designer and graduate of l'Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne. His creative aspirations are to better understand the world around him.
His work explores visual language and manipulation of different materials to express ideas. It focuses on the creative process, deriving as much meaning from experimentation and exploration as from the final product itself.
Alex Pyatetsky, Genetic Ink, http://www.geneticink.com, +1 3129700637, [email protected]
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