2005 Rockefeller New Media Foundation Proposal

Abstract

Latent Figure Protocol will utilize DNA sequencing technologies to create representational images in which there is a tension between that which is portrayed and the DNA materials (from the specific individual or specific species) used to generate it. Not simply images of a sequence of DNA in a gel (like a standard DNA fingerprint), but rather a gel containing DNA sequences specifically chosen to create a recognizable, quasi-photographic representation. For instance, using a 16-lane electrophoresis gel, it is possible to generate an iconic image by treating each lane as a row of pixels analogous to how early computer images were built using ascii characters. Inserting DNA of known sizes into the beginning slot of each lane will allow for a sequence of DNA bands in each lane to migrate at different speeds when voltage is applied, thus creating a 2-dimensional grid of DNA bands resembling a low resolution bitmap image.