"The Farm" by Alexis Rockman

website for painting: http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/genewatch/GeneWatchPage.aspx?pageId=335

This is a painting by Alexis Rockman entitled “The Farm”, and above is a link to the website where I found it. The website, councilforresponsiblegenetics.org, includes not only an image of this painting, but an article written by Dr. Rob LeSalle, who is the curator for in the American Museum of Natural History’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology. In his article, he talks about interviewing Rockman about his painting, and he talks about which of the animals in Rockman’s painting are real.

What makes this painting artistic is it uses images to convey a message about genetic engineering in animals. In the foreground of this painting there are four main animals that have been genetically modified. The most obvious one is the pig, who is quite obese and has human organs growing inside of him, and its been proven this is possible, according to DeSalle’s article. This is because pigs’ organs, specifically their hearts, are constructed very similarly to human hearts. Next is the cow, which has unusually large muscles. DeSalle points out that large-muscled cows like this one do exist, but they were created through selective breeding, not genetic engineering. However, the image of this cow in the painting does show how human interference in animal breeding makes them look as though they are genetically engineered, and the unintended consequences this could have. The third main animal is the chicken, who appears on the fence post three times in succession. The first chicken looks normal, and the next two do not. The second chicken looks as though it’s going through some kind of genetic modification, as part of its body is white and has red organ-like objects inside it. The last chicken looks normal except it has three wings now, most likely as result of the genetic modification of the second chicken. However, it has none of the bright colors of the first chicken; its body is completely golden brown. This change in the chicken through genetic engineering shows how when humans manipulate animals, they become merely a product and a far cry from the wild, colorful animals they used to be. The last main animal is the mouse, which is in the foreground of the painting between the basket of tomatoes and the pig. What is unusual about this mouse is it has a human ear growing on it’s back. This, according to DeSalles’ article, is taken from a real experiment in 1997 done on a mouse by Dr. Joseph Vacanti, who took a polyester fabric, soaked it in cow cartilage, and shaped it into an ear and attached it to the mouse. Rockman’s inclusion of the mouse in his painting, although this time with a human ear rather than ear made of cow cartilage, makes the viewer question the lines crossed when a scientist does an experiment like that. Similar to growing human organs in pigs, though slightly less invasive, it’s taking DNA of one animal and putting it in another. There are many untended consequences could occur, making the viewer wonder if an experiment like that is worth it, even if it’s supposed to benefit humans.

I chose this painting as artwork to connect to genetic engineering in animals as this painting contains direct correlations, as I explained above. Also, genetic engineering in animals is very important in the world of Oryx and Crake, as there are many of them, such as the rakunks and the pigoons. The specific part in the novel I connect this painting to is the description of OrganInc Farms and Jimmy’s visit there. Despite its name, OrganInc Farms is the farthest away from any person’s image of a farm. Sure, they raise animals, specifically pigoons, but there are no fields of crops or large outside enclosures for them. Instead, the pigoons are kept in extremely secure buildings so no once can steal them. When Jimmy goes to visit it, “he had to put on a biosuit that was too big for him, and wear a face mask, and wash his hands first with disinfectant soap”(26). This does not sound like a farm; it sounds like Jimmy is entering a top-secret science lab. However, if OrganInc Farms actually had farms, I think they would look something like the one depicted in the painting, with pigoons and other genetically modified animals living on it.