[spectre] Gina Czarnecki's "Heirloom", the coming Trust Me, I'm An Artist project in Copenhagen

[Annick2]

Dear Spectrites,

May is the time to go to Copenhagen to discover and discuss 
"Heirloom" by Gina Czarnecki in collaboration with John Hunt 
and Lola and Saskia Czarnecki-Stubbs.

"Heirloom" is presented by Medical Museion as part of the 
Trust Me, I'm An Artist project and within their "Collected 
Body" exhibition.

Join us for what promises to be an intense artwork, debate 
and workshops.

Best
Annick

**************

Schedule:
Exhibition : 25 May - 28 August 2016
Ethical panel discussion: *May 25th 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm*
Workshop Cellcraft 1 for artists and curators, Friday May 
27th 11 am – 4 pm
Workshop Cellcraft 2 for everyone, Sunday May 29th, 11 am – 4pm

Location:
Medical Museion
Bredgade 62
Copenhagen

*Link for the event : http://www.museion.ku.dk/heirloom/*

Artist website :
*http://heirloom.ginaczarnecki.com/*

In "Heirloom", Gina Czarnecki grows skin portraits of her 
daughters from their own cells onto glass casts. The growing 
portraits are bathed in a liquid that feeds them and 
prevents infection. When the growing cells reach the 
thickness of tissue paper they are removed, preserved, and 
displayed.

"Heirloom" subverts the notion of the portrait, representing 
a person not in paint or oils, but with their own biological 
material. As the cells grow, are removed, and grow again, 
does the link between portrait and sitter lie in the 
physical resemblance or the cellular material?

The starting point of "Heirloom" was the idea of 
personalized medicine and having your teenage face back in 
the future. The artwork was realized in collaboration with 
professor of Clinical Sciences John Hunt; using Tissue 
Engineering and Regenerative Medicine this could lead to new 
possibilities for facial reconstruction and cosmetic 
modification. Gina Czarnecki and John with professor 
Caroline Wilkinson have also become interested in the 
possibilities of saving information about the 3D structure 
of the face along with youthful skin cells in biobanks – 
could everyone have their own facial heirloom? In other 
words, using art with science, society is dared  to think 
differently about what might be possible.

Placing "Heirloom" alongside Medical Museion’s exhibition 
"The Body Collected" invites us to compare how scientists 
and artists use bodily materials to produce new insights 
(http://www.museion.ku.dk/bodycollected/)

The project is supported by: Arts Council England, The 
creative Europe Programme of the European Union, The Novo 
Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research and 
Arbejdsmarkedets Feriefond.

The project ‘Trust Me, I’m an Artist: Developing ethical 
frameworks for artists, cultural institutions and audiences 
engaged in the challenges of creating and experiencing new 
art forms in biotechnology and biomedicine in Europe’ is led 
by artist Anna Dumitriu in collaboration with ethicist 
Professor Bobbie Farsides. The project is run by Waag 
Society in collaboration with Brighton and Sussex Medical 
School, The Arts Catalyst, Kapelica Gallery / Kersnikova, 
Medical Museion, Capsula and Leonardo/Olats.