Biophilia - Organ Crafting

[2011]

Veronica Ranner, Germany.
[www.veronicaranner.com]

If genetically modified silk worms could weave the scaffold for your donor heart instead of a machine – what would you prefer?The silk worm Bombyx Mori has been domesticated for more than 5000 years. The sericulture would weave biodegradable scaffolds for organs, tissues, biosensors and even products - from ‘hardware’ to novel ‘wetware’. As cardiovascular diseases are globally number one cause of death we will face an increasing scarcity of donor hearts. But does dealing with living material require a more humane way of production? Could this even impact our relationship with the inanimate world around us?