Is Biobank a Home? by Heather Dewey-Hagborg is an immersive installation that reflects on the agency of human DNA as it circulates through facilities called “biobanks”, which house the genetic information of millions of citizens, without their consent or knowledge.
The exhibit is situated within Andrew Carnegie’s former nursery at the Cooper Hewitt, adding another layer of meaning to the work. From the stained glass collage of Dewey-Hagborg’s biopsied tissue to the brightly illuminated light of the “biobank” shelves, the installation is a carefully considered sensory experience. The piece is complete with a spoken word audio of the artist's exchanges with medical institutions. The sterility of its representation makes the viewer feel uneasy upon entry. The vials of red substance decorate the shelves of a labyrinth-like space, contrasting with the sterility of starch-white walls of the room. The architectural consideration of space within the installation creates a claustrophobic feeling of enclosure, reflecting the limits of agency imposed on data that we have no choice but to share with medical institutions.
The exhibit challenges the notion of what we call home and points out the inevitable intersection between our bodies, ubiquitous surveillance and data collection. Bringing to light an issue of personal agency, Dewey-Hagborg recreates a restricted space and peels back a layer of privacy.
- Ekaterina Maisheva #
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