“If we compare the discovery of DNA 50 years ago to the discovery of language over 10,000 years prior, we are currently at the printing press in genetics. That’s an incredible rate of progress and an exciting place to be in history.” So says Kishan Bhoopalam, the CEO of Genetic Ink,. a New York-based startup that plans to make unique pieces of art based on peoples’ DNA.We’re all going to die, and you better get used to that. With the art created by Genetic Ink, a representation of your specific DNA structure could outlive you. The art/product is created by taking a cheek swab with a kit sent to you by the company, which is then processed in a CLIA-certified lab and turned into an original piece of art. That's the basic idea anyhow.I know what you’re thinking; this is a scam by the NSA (or whoever) to get all of us to send them our DNA and steal a bit more of our privacy. Well, it’s not. “The DNA samples are destroyed within 30 days of receiving them using an industry standard process. No further sequencing can be done once the samples are destroyed … We’re fanatical about ensuring our customers’ privacy,” Bhoopalam told me.Bhoopalam used to do genetic sequencing while studying neurodegenerative diseases in rats. Over the course of his research, he became fascinated with DNA and how it affects our everyday lives. “It [is] nature’s art form, and I wanted to express it accordingly,” he said.“Our first art style, Spark, was designed by Swiss-Canadian artist, Mathieu Daudelin," Bhoopalam continued. "It comes in 17 color schemes and principally consist of 4 concentric, colored rings, shattered on a background. Each ring represents one of the 4 nucleotides in the subject’s (human or pet) DNA, A, T, C and G.” Each nucleotide sets off a certain shape in the ring once it is run through the algorithm.Bhoopalam also told me that, of the small portion of the DNA sequenced to create the art piece, you can actually read your DNA sequence from inside to out, like a clock. However, it’s not so specific that you will be able to look at the artwork and tell if you’re at a higher risk for cancer or anything like that.The artwork won’t be cheap, but great artwork is rarely cheap. For a small 12x16 inch piece, it’ll run you $200, and you can go as large as a 3x4 feet for $700. It may not be a good way to tell how your DNA will affect the course of your life, but it is an interesting new take on outliving yourself. They say art imitates life, and it's hard to imagine a more perfect example.
Advertisement