Heirloom
Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt
2016
When human materials are stored, grown and used outside the body it can be hard to say exactly who is being cared for; and to say where, between us and our cells, identity lies.
Heirloom is a cultural laboratory for the future of the face created by artist Gina Czarnecki and scientist John Hunt. Testing the limits of medical science, Heirloom explores the potential impact of innovation on personal identity, and the possibility of using cell growth to recapture eternal youth.
Cells collected from Czarnecki’s daughters’ mouths are grown on delicate glass casts using innovative cell-nurturing methods and life-support systems, which are then preserved, lifted and presented to create scientifically accurate three-dimensional living portraits. The installation of Heirloom also reveals the process behind the portraits, combining elements of citizen science, prototyping, and experience design, to explore possible futures in medical procedures and techniques.
- Touring
—17 March – 28 October 2018
Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Leiden, Netherlands
More infoFor further details on our touring portfolio please contact Rachel Cunningham Clark rc@forma.org.uk
- Credits
—Heirloom was created by Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, with Saskia and Lola Czarnecki-Stubbs, in 2016. Produced by Forma and originally developed for display with Medical Museion, Copenhagen as part of the EU Creative Europe funded project Trust Me I'm an Artist. Supported by Arts Council England.
Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King
Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King
Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King
Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King
Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King
Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King
Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King
Gina Czarnecki realises her art in a diverse and often unconventional range of media, including installations, sculpture, video, and site specific works. Since the mid-1990’s her work has found fascination with convergent developments in life sciences and technologies, their possible applications and how this shapes and informs identity. Recent projects include Nascent and Infected with exhibitions at CYNETART, Dresden (2016), Bruges Cultural Centre (2016), and Open Media Art Festival, Singapore (2015).
John Hunt is a research scientist driving towards providing treatments for healthy ageing and regenerative medicines for chronic diseases and physical trauma, through combining materials with living cells. He is a full time professor and research theme leader at Nottingham Trent University, UK, leading the Medical Technologies and Advanced Materials team.
Previous presentations
2017
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Birmingham Open Media, Birmingham, UK
National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan,
KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad, Silkeborg, Denmark
2016
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FACT, Liverpool, UK
Ars Electronica 2016, Linz, Austria
Cheongju Art Centre, Cheongju, South Korea
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Background image: Installation view, Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt, Heirloom, FACT, Liverpool, UK, 2016. Image courtesy of FACT. Credit: Stephen King