2024

Boryana Rossa, Oleg Mavromatti.

Installation consisting of yeast or bacteria, glass reliquary, glove-finger box, mural, video

Exhibition at the SU Art Museum, Syracuse, NY

Could our spirituality be predetermined by our genes? Molecular biologist Dean Hammer claims that it could. In his book, “The God Gene,” Hamer claims that the VMAT2 gene encodes for a protein that affects self-transcendence, spirituality, or faith. However, the media presentation of his hypothesis raises questions about its potential impact on societies and individual freedoms.

The film in this multilayered installation documents the work of art collective ULTRAFUTURO whose project explores the discussion on the genetic determination of human behavior and critically examines how biological science is portrayed in the media, considering diverse social, cultural, and religious perspectives. In a world where social media frequently garners more trust than scientific sources, we emphasize the detrimental impact of the misrepresentation of scientific research on its intended purpose. To reflect the central issue of embodiment, and the harsh juxtaposition within the nature/nurture argument, presented in media around the “God Gene” ULTRAFUTURO decides to create a literal illustration of these controversies and produce a genetically modified Transcendental Bacteria of Faith. This organism does nothing and can be defined as “spiritual” only by the evidence of the genetic transformation, presented in the supportive film. It does not have “spiritual behavior” because it can’t perform in a “human” way. It is placed in a custom-made “glove-finger box” and viewers are invited to touch it. Involvement with this absurd scenario is a re-thinking of the notion of “genetically predisposed faith,” but also “faith” or “belief” in the media representation of science and religion.