Kathy High’s exhibit “Waste Matters: You Are My Future,” was
much different than I expected. Upon
hearing the name I the exhibit, I assumed that it was going to be artwork
created utilizing human’s trash or recyclables. Shocking people is definitely a
huge aspect of artwork.
“Waste Matters: You Are My Future” examines the importance
of bacteria in our bodies. Kathy High, an interdisciplinary artist who
incorporates biology and technology into her work, suffers from Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of
the digestive tract. High’s current
research involving fecal microbial transplants has promising results towards
treating Crohn’s Disease. Before going to this exhibit, despite knowing
multiple people with Crohn’s Disease, I had no clue that FMT was a possible
treatment or of the great benefits it can have.
The purpose of art is to spread information to the masses or
offer a different perspective to the observer, which is exactly what this
exhibit did for me. The centerpiece of
waste matters featured stool samples preserved in honey in large glass
vials. While stool may seem like waste
to some individuals, those that lack the important, beneficial bacteria in
their digestive tract value stool because it can potentially be used in FMT to
treat whatever condition they may have.
"Crohn's Disease Center: Symptoms,
Types, Causes, Tests, and Treatments." WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
<http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/crohns-disease/>.
High, Kathy, comp. Waste Matters:
You Are My Future. 16 Apr. 2015. Exhibition. UCLA Art-Sci Center, Los
Angeles.
"What Is FMT?" Awareness
and Support for Fecal Microbiota Transplant. The Fecal Transplant
Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
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