This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to…
American Bioartist Diemut Strebe has done the extraordinary. She has 3D printed a living replica of dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh’s ear (the one he cut off) using DNA from one of his descendants to grow new cells that were then printed to match the only existing photo of Van Gogh in good health.
She’s connected the living ear tissue to a computer so it can listen to visitors when they speak, processing the sound as a crackle.
Currently on display in Germany, she plans to bring it to New York next year.
She’s titled the piece “Sugababe” and is pushing the boundaries of art, 3D printing, and genetics.
When Dr. Ellen Kooijman submitted a proposal for a series of professional women playsets to LEGO’s ideas competition, the news triggered more than 160,000 tweets within the first 24 hours.
After months of consideration, the toy maker announced this week that they will put into production three of her ideas – An astronomer, a paleontologist, and chemist each with matching accessories.
The response has been huge. There’s been an outpouring of stories from women frustrated at the way they’ve had to cobble together women from the few parts that are out there.
“Love these. My girls make lego projects all the time and use the minifig guys to populate their creations. I thought they would like the new ‘girly’ minifigs but no…. they looked funny when paired with their already existing minifigs so they wouldn’t buy any more of those. This set is not only inspiring but fits into the known universe….which – I can’t help but add – is where women have always belonged.”
“My three and a half year old just spotted this picture over my shoulder, and got very excited. Her brother has legos that feature only boys. “So they’re all girls?” She asked. Her favorite is the astronomer.”
A friend of mine, Royal Ontario Museum Archaeologist April Hawkins is one, she had to find some female parts from other kits in order to create the Indiana Jane & Archeology Kitten photo series she tweets from within the museum.
While Physicist Helen Czerski has written an opinion piece about it all in The Guardian, pointing out the odd female figures LEGO had previously planned.
