I began a series of work in 1997 at the Kohler Arts/Industry Program, drawing on sources ranging from mythology and early medicine, to contemporary developments like cloning and genetic engineering. As my work has continued to evolve, I have begun to deal not only with biotechnology but also with technology and its larger environmental, cultural, and social ramifications. While I have worked in a variety of media including iron, bronze, resin, wax, ceramic, and video installation, what unifies my work is a need to place technological developments in a larger historical framework.

“Genetic Incarnation” floats between the contemporary and the mythic. Four fetus’s joined at their center grow from pod like lotuses. In cloning the DNA can be infinitely incarnated into multiple bodies. Life no longer inhabits the body through the presence of mystical forces or spirit. The creation of life within the laboratory is disquieting because it challenges the sacredness and mystery of creation. It becomes a physical process of production as parts are harvested and combined.

In my most recent work “The Churning of the Milk” I use video to continue to explore these same ideas. Drawing on a story from the Mahabharata, I explore the way that human activity has impacted our environment. A rippling pool of milk comes to symbolize the way we are polluting both the environment and own our bodies.

My work explores the ways in which technology and culture are deeply interrelated. I believe that technological innovations are not simply forces that shape culture, but are deeply intertwined with the vision of the culture itself. My imagery collapses myth, medical history, and contemporary technology to reveal how science itself has become mythologized.

chicory@lsu.edu