diemut

SUGABABE

Sugababe

2014,/2021

Living genetically engineered, reprogrammed and immortalized chondrocytes, seeded on biodegradable scaffold, maintained in glass containers infused with plasma using a pump system.

Pedestal equipped with a computer system, microphone, amplifier and speakers.

Diemut Strebe

in collaboration with the following scientists:

Robert Langer, MIT, Yulia Rybakova, Jason (Yen-Chun) Lu and Luke Hyunsik Rhym, all MIT, Mary B Goldring, Hospital for Special Surgery and Weill Cornell Medical College,
C. Vacanti, Harvard, Ian Wilmut, MRC Edinburgh,
Vincent Castella/Christian Gehrig, University Center of LegalMedicine, Lausanne-Geneva, George Church, Harvard, Tessa Hadlock, Fouzi Benboujja, both Mass Eye and Ear Institute, Peter Cariani, Boston University, Bertrand Delgutte, Harvard, Mass Eye and Ear Institute, Farshid Guilak, Washington University Center of Regenerative Medicine.

Installation View SUGABABE / 2014-2021 #2

Sugababe is a living replica of Vincent van Gogh‘s left ear, created in collaboration with a team of scientists from several institutions including MIT, Harvard and CURML.

In Sugababe, the Theseus paradox—a thought experiment based on Plutarch’s Ship of Theseus, which questions whether an object that has all its component parts replaced remains the same object – has been applied to the molecular level by replacing various natural components with engineered ones: We replaced natural DNA present in a living cell line from a van Gogh male descendant with foreign DNA of a living female descendant and natural DNA with modified variations, namely those genes and other components that are supposed to influence and enhance artistic creativity.

The involved technology such as gene scissors CRISPR Cas9 and mRNA technology is probing the re- creation of a historical person and options to enhance our natural physical dispositions. The principles of such technologies allow us to alter, control and re-design our own “hardware.”

Sugababe explores the potential and implications of such cutting edge bio-technology and questions the mystification of art and the artist by the public and in art theory.

Installation View SUGABABE / 2014-2021 #3

Sugababe View #4

SUGABABE/2014-2021
Living genetically engineered, reprogrammed and immortalized chondrocytes, seeded on biodegradable scaffold, maintained in glass containers infused with plasma using a pump system.

Pedestal equipped with a computer system, microphone, amplifier and speakers.
Earchamber: 12.2 x 12 x 7 cm reservoir: 8 x 25 x 25 cm pedestal: 122 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm // Exhibition view ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, 2014 The artwork has been also on view in Ron Feldman’s Gallery in New York City in 2015 and at The Mori Art Museum, Tokyo in 2019/20

During the opening at ZKM Karlsruhe, Germany in May 2014

Noam Chomsky was the first person to speak to the ear.

To the left is Lieuwe van Gogh.

During the opening at ZKM Karlsruhe, Germany in May 2014

Lieuwe van Gogh.speaks to the ear.

Lieuwe Van Gogh , Diemut Strebe, Noam Chomsky

Van Gogh’s missing ear is nothing less than the key story, the very essence of the romantic myth of art and artist, the still tremendously vivid idea of the artist as a genius. Sugababe could be seen as a recreation of the common myth, formally and conceptually attached to the iconic story as its dialectic opposite.

Nowadays and very explicitly since the last 200 years a common stereotype about the artist’s personality is that of the irrational, suffering creator on the verge of self- destruction and ingenious creation, receiving his extraordinary creativity and inspirations almost as a divine afflatus and “epiphany”.

Noam Chomsky speaks to Sugababe

PDF entire project with scientific description

Full BBC Video