Art And Skin Cells

There is outrage at an Australian artist's move to cultivate skin cells for art. Alicia King has received ethical clearance to use her own cells and those of consenting patients. The art involves growing skin cells over glass forms, and fixing and dying them before they are added to an art piece. "I basically drip the cells over the glass and they stick to the surface and they slowly start to grow and spread out until there is a thin membrane," she said. "It's quite hard to see with the naked eye so I dye it with a tissue culture dye." It has taken a Human Research and Ethics Board six months to approve King's application to use her own cells for the mixed-medium work. An exhibition of the art opens in Melbourne on August 17. For the full story - click the title Irish Art