Trust me, I'm an artist
This series of public events, taking place in international settings, investigate the new ethical issues arising from art and science collaboration and consider the roles and responsibilities of the artists, scientists and institutions involved. At each event (before a live audience) an internationally known artist will propose an artwork to a specially formed ethics committee (following the rules and procedures typical for the host country), the ethics committee will then debate the proposal and come to a decision, the artist will then be informed of the ethics committee’s decision and, alongside the audience, they can enter into a discussion about the result. The proposals have been selected as they raise interesting questions for science ethics committees and will help reveal the mechanisms that drive this usually hidden process, enabling the wider public to understand the driving forces behind ethical decisions and the role of artists working in scientific settings more deeply. The project “Trust Me I’m an Artist: Towards an Ethics of Art/Science Collaboration” is led by artist Anna Dumitriu in collaboration with Professor Bobbie Farsides (Chair of Ethics, Brighton and Sussex Medical School) in collaboration with Waag Society, Leiden University and BioSolar Cells. Follow the links above to view the events, videos and other documentation. For more information contact annadumitriu@hotmail.com
Event 2: “Self-Experimentation” and the Ethics Committee of 1 with Neal White
Date and time: Friday 27th January 2012, 7-9:30pm
Venue: The Arts Catalyst, 50-54 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5PS
Introduction:
Anna Dumitriu introduces the project “Trust Me I’m an Artist: Towards an Ethics of Art/Science Collaboration” on which she is lead artist.
The historical scene:
May 1959 on the opening of Yves Klein’s exhibition Le Vide (The Void) at Gallery Iris Clert in Paris. Crowds thronged as Yves opened his highly controversial exhibition – that featured a seemingly empty white gallery space. Those lucky enough to gain access, were in for an unexpected treat. “Special blue cocktails were served: a mixture of gin, Cointreau and methylene blue prepared for Klein by La Coupole, the famous brasserie. As Klein intended, the cocktails caused the urine of drinkers to turn blue for about a week, roughly the planned run of the show.”
More recently…
Since this event took place in 1959, Methylene blue as a stain has been established as toxic. However, it is also a component in several medications (Trac Tabs, Urised, Uroblue) used to reduce symptoms of cystitis, and in other forms for the treatment of methemoglobinemia. It is our intention to re-create the event as an experiment to establish what are the safest, or least toxic dosage of methylene blue in an alcoholic cocktail required to turn urine blue, if only for a limited period. The effect of this will be monitored, and the dosage will be controlled during the trial. Read more here.
