Transgenic Bacteria Release Machine

- 2001 - Beatriz da Costa

The Transgenic Bacteria Release Machine was developed as part of GenTerra, a collaborative performance project with Critical Art Ensemble. The TBRM is a simple robotic game machine. It holds ten petry dishes on its circular surface. One of the dishes contains transgenic e-coli bacteria (a harmless strain, which is usually found in the human intestinal system), whereas the other nine are growing bacteria and mold samples collected from the nearby surroundings (changing each time the machine is installed). The transgenic bacteria are recombinant e-coli bacteria containing human DNA. As part of the GenTerra performance, visitors are invited to interact with the Transgenic Bacteria Release Machine. When activated by the red power button, the machine starts spinning its wheel and randomly stops after a few seconds. The mechanic arm slides down and opens the corresponding petry dish. In a chance of one to ten, the machine opens the transgenic dish. A red indicator light turns on if the transgenic dish was opened, and a green one for the wild bacteria samples. The machine was designed to help people understand and reflect upon the environmental impacts of transgenic organisms. Please refer to the GenTerra Website to understand the role of this machine within the context of the performance.