Biokinetic Sculptures

Student’s name: Isabella Zeyben Home Institution: Fashion Institute of Technology NNCI Site: CNS at Harvard University REU Principal Investigator: Kevin Kit Parker - Disease & Biophysics Group, Harvard University REU Mentors: Michael Rosnach, Michael Peters Abstract: Creativity in art revolves around well-known techniques, rather than developing at the cutting edge alongside new knowledge. Since the 1500s professionals have been attempting to integrate the fields of art and science. Leonardo Da Vinci and Ernst Haeckel are early and pivotal examples - their infatuation with unveiling the systems of humans and animals led to illustrations which changed both the science and art worlds [1]. Da Vinci and Haeckel made art inspired by science, but not art produced by science. I would like to switch this narrative to investigate how artists can work with scientists and use lab techniques to create art, while examining what causes viewers to see an object as alive. This summer I had the privilege of being a research student in Kit Parkers Disease and Biophysics Group. Specifically, their work with biomimicry - a tissue engineered ray [2] and a biohybrid fish [3] each made of cardiomyocytes seeded on unique substrates to mimic the original creatures motion - interests me. I will use these examples as foundations to build my project from. I aim to utilize laboratory tools to craft a living sculpture that examines qualities observed as alive, and to further capture the construction of my creation using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging techniques. I will use Focused Rotary Jet Spinning technology to generate nanofibers and create the sculptural aspect of my project. I will seed my sculptures with cardiomyocytes, and mature these cells enough that they beat. I will also image my creation with SEM to capture a detailed picture that brings the viewer down to the cell level, and shows how cells align on unique nanofiber scaffolds. Overall, this project opens the door to understanding the complex relationship between artistic expression and scientific tools, offering a unique chance to utilize each unconventionally.