The Infinity Engine, 2014
Multimedia installation
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist, Altman Siegel, San Francisco and Bridget Donahue, New York
The once purely literary sci-fi dreams of biogenetically engineered artificial life forms have become a reality in life sciences, triggering both promising and terrifying visions of unforeseeable future realities. Lynn Hershman Leeson’s The Infinity Engine explores the mounting influence of genetic engineering on human and non-human life through an installation including a wallpaper, video and photographs, confronting the viewers with current standards in genetic research for genetically modified hybrid crops and animals. The installation aims to raise questions about how far human intervention in DNA is ethically acceptable, what impact it has on human and non-human life, and reflects on how identities and individual subjectivities can be safeguarded in the age of genetic engineering and incessant scientific advancements.
Lynn Hershman Leeson was born in Cleveland (Ohio), USA; she lives and works in San Francisco (California) and New York, USA.
Over the last five decades, artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson has been internationally acclaimed for her art and films that challenge contemporary power structures. She is widely recognised for her innovative exploration of issues including the relationship between humans and technology, identity, surveillance, and the use of media as a tool of empowerment against censorship and political repression. Her interests include feminism, biotechnology and genetic engineering, artificial intelligence and identity theft through algorithms and data tracking.
