2001
5 pieces, 84” x 9” each piece
Silk, painted masonite, mixed media
Probes
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DNA
Probes
The work Probes (2001) launches the DNA series, born from a pivotal year when the draft of the Human Genome was published and genetic breakthroughs were reshaping the understanding of human identity. This scientific revelation—the codes of life itself—was abruptly juxtaposed with a collective global tragedy.
The installation consists of three pairs of vertical uprights, fashioned from silk stretched across painted masonite, their form directly referencing the lanes used to organize gene markings in DNA studies. The work’s gray-green, glass-colored tones and stained bands, which denote studied genes, took on an unintended resonance. While working in the studio on September 11th, the vertical structures and muted palette reflected the devastating images of the Twin Towers seen in the media.
Probes fundamentally places the complex, microscopic certainty of the human genetic code alongside the sudden, brutal uncertainty of a collective world event, capturing a moment when human truth was redefined on both a biological and historical scale.
Collections:
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kleisner, Bainbridge Island, Washington