As we continue to probe the frontiers of biotech, we already know we're changing nature. But more subtly - although just as profoundly - we are changing how we define what we consider beautiful.
Starting with the original beauty, Aphrodite, who was said to have been born from the ocean. Wrapped in the smell of roses, she captivated the gods of Olympus. The ancient Greek goddess has recently been recast as Amy, a modern biotech badass who uses genetically engineered silk to create an irresistible rose-scented dress and captivate her secret crush's heart. "But her story is not entirely science fiction," notes Hiromi Ozaki - aka Sputniko! - an Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab's Design Fiction group - which uses storytelling to spark imagination and discussion about the social, cultural, and ethical implications of new technologies.
Ozaki, who also goes by Sputniko!, creates contraptions, products, music and film exploring technology’s impact on everyday life to imagine and speculate on alternative futures. "We created Amy's Dress using glowing silk created in 2008 by the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS) in Japan by incorporating jellyfish and coral genes into silkworms," she adds. "We are also working with NIAS to develop a rose-scented rose silk and a love-inducing silk containing oxytocin (the hormone that induces amorousness and cuddling), both engineered by Amy in the story."
- Lesley Scott
Actively embracing the future - from myth to technology - with a desire to make it fashionable and timely is a signature of the Futurenetic Fashion Tribe. For more of my posts about this tribe, CLICK HERE. To learn more about each of fashion's four mega-tribes that I track, START HERE.
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