Synthetic Aesthetics: Connecting Synthetic Biology and Creative Design

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Scientific & Intellectual MeritThe Synthetic Aesthetics project will bring together scientists and engineers who are developing and applying powerful new tools for engineering biology with artists and design professionals who are expert at creating beautiful objects. The project will explore how the tools of genetic engineering and biotechnology can be adapted and extended in service of creative design processes, broadly defined. The project will also provide scientific and engineering communities with access to the wisdom and expertise of different design communities, who have collectively analyzed and developed methods for producing systems that are in harmony with the natural world.Broader ImpactsThe project will enable and support broader access to the tools of biotechnology. Specifically, by exploring how to responsibly enable the artistic and creative design communities with the new tools underlying the next generation of biotechnology, the project will ensure the broader consideration of many perspectives and the participation of many voices in discussions regarding social issues associated with biotechnology. Also, by enabling the next generation of biological engineers to gain wisdom from the lessons of urban planning, architecture, environmental studies, graphic design, and so on, the project will help to ensure that any future applications of biological technologies, from large scale bioenergy installations to environmental remediation projects, will be more likely to contribute positively to both the human and natural environments. Stated differently, the project will enable the consideration of new approaches to engineering, in which lessons from nature and biology might better inform how we approach and take responsibility for our interactions with the living world.