Marta Mielcarek
1 / 4
XX
16.06.2014
Process of the work:
- Receiving a blood from the parents.
- Isolation DNA from blood.
- Electrophoresis – video registration.
- Two-channel projection in digital frames.
The body is never a unity and It is result of meeting of two people. Each of my parents have 22 pairs of chromosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes that determine the sex of the newborn. Woman has the same two chromosomes, X and X, and man has an X chromosome and a Y chromosome. All pairs (23) are called karyotype. Chromosomes are stored in the DNA sequences in the genetic material.
XX is my self-portrait.
The starting point is the body. I decided to portray the body of my parents because their bodies form my body. But in order to get the basic genetic information I changed the scale of my observation. The body operates in specific orders of magnitude. Micro space is beyond our perceiving. However, it is also a condition of our existence. Feeling the need to penetrate deeper, beyond the perception of visible, I conducted research in cytogenetic laboratory, which allowed me to obtain a picture of a small DNA sequence of my parents. In a sterile laboratory, sanitary protective gloves and with the mask on my face, I experienced a very important, symbolic moment - I saw two orange lines - the genetic information about my parents. In the final result, both projections are raw and minimalist. In my intentions I have performed affectionate gesture which summarized certain stage of life.