The Science of IdentityThe Photo-ID exhibition, while at heart a photography exhibition, will also introduce some of the relevant scientific issues that surround our ideas of identity. The curator, Keith Roberts, is a cell biologist with a deep interest in the complex relationships between the social construction of identity, the ways in which artists have tackled identity, and the ways in which the human genome project has changed how we and the state think about who we are. He will provide interventions in the exhibition, in the form of panels and interactives, that will challenge the visitors to question their beliefs about how they come to know who they are. We might define ourselves by ethnicity, belief, age, gender, language, country or a wide range of other criteria. But subtle genome-wide variations in our common genetic inheritance are increasingly being drawn on to define us as individuals, not just by the medical profession, but also by agencies and companies, and more importantly by the state. The ethical and social issues that this gives rise to will be explored as a counterpoint to, and context for, the work of the commissioned photographers. |
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