The Two of Us

Abstract

The interdisciplinary field of art-science research is marked by a range of multi-media methods. Australian artists such as the Tissue Culture and Art Project have contributed to this field. Much of this research takes a scientifically informed approach but concentrates upon the ethical issues in contemporary science such as cloning and stem cell research. Michele Barker and Anna Munster use practice-based research to contribute to the ethical debate about the environmental consequences of scientists reverse engineering extinct species.

‘The Two of Us’ is a site-specific installation that comprises a digital animation of an imaginary two-headed Thylacine and actual footage of the last Thylacine alive in captivity. In 1999 the Australian Museum embarked on research to clone a living Thylacine. This installation responds to the ethical problems that arise in relation to cloning. It demonstrates that the art-science field can be a contributor to public debate about the ethical implications of contemporary science.

The Butterfly Effect was a curated show for the Australian Museum, umbrella of the Sydney Festival of the Arts 2005, in its first large-scale exhibition involving artists responding to its displays. It was reviewed John McDonald in The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 February 2005. It is cited in the peer-reviewed journal article: M. Goldberg, ‘The Butterfly Effect: The Natural History Museum, Visual Art, and the Suspension of Disbelief’; International Journal of the Inclusive Museum, Volume 1, Issue 1: 1-10.