{"id":91434,"date":"2021-10-05T13:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T17:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=91434"},"modified":"2023-09-26T14:31:01","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T18:31:01","slug":"from-studio-to-lab","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2021\/from-studio-to-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"From Studio to Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-emphasis-on-text has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">CFA Faculty<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrom Studio to Lab\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Lucy Kim uses science to turn simple screen prints into organic creations<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">Marc Chalufour<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"Photos by\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/jake-belcher\/\">Jake Belcher<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p><strong>Lucy Kim likes to experiment.&nbsp;<\/strong>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lucykim.com\/\">award-winning visual artist<\/a>&nbsp;and CFA associate professor has made a career of manipulating materials into paintings, sculptures, or hybrids that can\u2019t be easily categorized. She has worked with urethane resin, fiberglass, epoxy, oil and acrylic paints, silicone, aluminum foil, burlap, and wood (and that\u2019s just a partial list). She\u2019s built 3D textures into paintings and mashed 3D busts until they\u2019re almost two-dimensional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now she\u2019s experimenting with a new material that shapes our lives in myriad ways: melanin. Kim is creating art with the natural pigment that gives our eyes, hair, and skin their color, using it to make captivating monochromatic screen prints. But printing with melanin isn\u2019t like mixing up a bunch of dyes. In organisms, including humans, it takes a series of incredibly complex chemical processes to produce the pigment. To make these prints, Kim has had to swap her artist\u2019s studio for a scientist\u2019s lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>An Idea Blooms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, Kim arrived as the new artist in residence at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.broadinstitute.org\/\">the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard<\/a>, excited to push her art in new directions. The sprawling biomedical research center in Cambridge, Mass., has hundreds of researchers working on genome editing and the biological roots of disease, and the artist in residence program is meant to spark creative thinking\u2014so Kim began networking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube alignwide wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Broad Institute Artist-In-Residence - Lucy Kim\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AWuQ56rNLSk?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><strong>Watch:<\/strong> Kim discusses her project creating prints with melanin. She began the project while an artist in residence at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. <br>Video courtesy of the Broad Institute<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:250px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer alignfull has-secondary-background-color overlap-top-250\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>She booked 15-minute meetings with the busy scientists and signed up for tours so she could peek inside their labs. After toying with ideas connected to gene editing\u2014a hot topic in late 2018, after a Chinese scientist claimed he\u2019d created the first human babies with edited genes\u2014Kim moved on. \u201cI just couldn\u2019t figure out something that felt organic with my process and my work,\u201d she says. That\u2019s when she returned to an idea that she\u2019d abandoned several years earlier: creating paint with melanin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kim had explored ideas of human appearance in past projects and had first tried to create a melanin-based paint in 2014, reaching out to a science supply company online. After answering their suspicious questions\u2014\u201cWho are you? Why are you requesting lab materials?\u201d\u2014they sold her one gram of laboratory-grade synthetic melanin. It came in powder form and cost nearly $400.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kim only made enough paint\u2014by mixing the powder with linseed oil\u2014to cover a tiny swatch of paper. \u201cI was too scared to use it,\u201d she says. Besides, \u201cIt\u2019s pretty boring looking\u2014it\u2019s just granular black pigment.\u201d She tabled the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her residency at the Broad Institute provided a good reason to revisit the idea. Kim posted a note on the Broad Institute\u2019s Slack channel and got a response from Sam Myers, a research scientist who specializes in proteomics, the study of proteins. Though his field has nothing to do with melanin, Myers was interested in art and intrigued by Kim\u2019s project. He offered to share his small lab space. Together, the artist and the scientist found a different, more affordable way to obtain melanin: growing their own. Kim\u2019s scientific education was about to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube alignwide wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CFA Professor Lucy Kim Creates Images Using Genetically Modified E.coli That Produce Melanin\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/McWjtVcl238?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:250px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer alignfull has-secondary-background-color overlap-top-250\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2>Designing a Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Working with Myers, Kim discovered the work of Guillermo Gosset at Instituto de Biotecnolog\u00eda, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico. Gosset had developed a strain of the bacteria&nbsp;<em>E. coli<\/em>&nbsp;that would produce melanin when incubated in a lab. \u201cWhere does he sell it?\u201d she wondered, before Myers explained that scientists often share information freely. \u201cI had no idea. You have to share, otherwise no one would get anything done.\u201d Kim contacted Gosset and he sent her a small tab of bacteria-infused paper. Instead of creating a melanin-based paint, this time she decided to try another art technique she\u2019d used in the past: silk screen printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Myers\u2019 help, Kim learned how to culture the bacteria, creating a liquid chemical mixture. Their first attempts to turn that mixture into melanin involved brushing the liquid bacteria onto a small sheet, then placing it in an incubator where the brownish pigment began to flourish. But to transition to screen printing, Kim needed to give that bacteria mixture an ink-like viscosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe biggest challenge was that I just didn\u2019t know how to do anything in the lab,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-1-1\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-008-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><strong><em>1. Kim examines two plates streaked with E.coli cells<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-007-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><em><strong>2. Vials and containers of melanin<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-002-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><strong><em>3. Kim pipettes an E.coli culture containing melanin for a swatch test on paper<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-square-s-s-s\">\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-003-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><strong><em>4. Weighing ingredients to make the E. coli ink<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/BU_LucyKim_Printing2_2021-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><strong><em>5. Squeegeeing the E. coli ink across a screen to create a test print. The ink goes on clear.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-009-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><strong><em>6. Kim covers a tray with prints in water for an experiment using different carbon sources in the ink;<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1277-CFAKIM-001-1-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><strong><em>7. Pouring more water into prints in the incubator<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1277-CFAKIM-004-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br><strong><em>8. Incubated test prints depicting birds<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:250px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer alignfull has-secondary-background-color overlap-top-250\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>She combined the bacteria with hydrocolloids\u2014thickeners often used in cosmetics and gastronomy\u2014to make an \u201cink.\u201d Although it goes onto the page clear, when the bacteria ink is placed into a warm incubator, the melanin springs to life, blooming in shades of brown and black. Kim repeats the culturing process for each printing to create the new bacteria cells she needs to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kim uses a screen made from fine polyester mesh stretched tightly over an aluminum frame. She covers the screen in a photo emulsion, a light sensitive chemical mixture. Once that dries, she overlays an image printed on clear acetate; exposure to light then burns the image into the emulsion, which then washes off wherever the image was burned and opens up the mesh\u2019s holes to allow ink to pass through. Kim then squeegees the viscous bacteria across the screen and onto a sheet of paper, which she places in an incubator to create a print.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For her melanin project, she began by creating test prints with images from past projects. Only over three to four days in the incubator does the melanin darken and bloom across the paper. Because it\u2019s a natural process, Kim can\u2019t control whether the melanin will maintain the screen\u2019s original detail, create mysterious patterns, or lend the image an eerie blurriness. The process can also fail entirely. If the paper gets too dry, melanin doesn\u2019t grow. If there\u2019s contamination, mold can grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSometimes, I have no idea why it ends up one way or another,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>A Distorted Theme<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The muted brown tones of Kim\u2019s melanin prints are a stark visual departure from other recent projects. An ongoing series of sculptural paintings,&nbsp;<em>Waves<\/em>, features oil paint on rippling slabs of fiberglass and urethane resin, created from casts of a beach\u2019s surface. In one, a repeating pattern of deep blue and black creatures look like crows from one angle and rabbits from another. Working with so many materials can require a lot of painstaking steps, but at some point Kim often yields some control to chance, letting the material do what it wants to do, just as she\u2019s done with the melanin project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"492\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/MelaninTestPrints_RabbitCrowThreeVersions-1024x492.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/MelaninTestPrints_RabbitCrowThreeVersions-1024x492.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/MelaninTestPrints_RabbitCrowThreeVersions-636x305.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/MelaninTestPrints_RabbitCrowThreeVersions-768x369.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/MelaninTestPrints_RabbitCrowThreeVersions-1536x738.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/MelaninTestPrints_RabbitCrowThreeVersions-2048x984.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2021\/10\/MelaninTestPrints_RabbitCrowThreeVersions-1628x782.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Test prints depicting birds. The muted brown tones of Kim\u2019s melanin prints are a visual departure from some of her recent colorful, textural projects.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:250px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer alignfull has-secondary-background-color overlap-top-250\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDistortion is a big thing in my work,\u201d Kim says. \u201cBut you have to be able to recognize something to know that it\u2019s distorted.\u201d For a series of pieces created between 2016 and 2020, Kim used epoxy, urethane resin, and fiberglass to cast and replicate the likenesses of three people. Then she flattened the casts and framed the cartoonish results. Her three subjects were carefully selected: a fitness trainer, plastic surgeon, and geneticist\u2014all people who alter the human body in their own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another defining characteristic of Kim\u2019s art is scale. The pieces in her plastic surgeon\/fitness trainer\/geneticist series measure 92 by 60 inches each.&nbsp;<em>Rejuvenate and Repeat<\/em>, a vibrant cascade of yellow and green oil paint, resin, epoxy, and fiberglass, is 19.5 feet tall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two years into the melanin project, Kim is working out how to make larger prints. Her first attempts were about 5 by 7 inches\u2014small enough to fit into basic lab incubators. Her goal is to work up to 3 by 4 feet, a size that will require a walk-in warm room the size of a closet to incubate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Art of Science, The Science of Art<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just over a year into Kim\u2019s residency at the Broad Institute, the coronavirus pandemic erupted. COVID research immediately became the top priority, and she lost her lab access. Fortunately, in her search for ways to make larger prints\u2014and have less competition for incubator time\u2014Kim had already connected with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/biology\/people\/profiles\/john-l-celenza\/\">John Celenza<\/a>, an associate professor of biology at BU, and he agreed to give her access to his lab. At BU, she\u2019s also getting help from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, which provides stipends for students who develop their own research based on her project. \u201cI\u2019ve been so moved,\u201d Kim says. \u201cI rely on the kindness of a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote magazine-block-bu-pullquote has-image-focus-center-middle has-secondary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><figure><\/figure><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">To me, the point of being an artist is to see something new. You&#8217;re always trying to find a new path, confronting a new thing.<\/div><footer class=\"caption\"><\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The integration of her artistic process into a laboratory has been a natural fit for Kim. \u201cExperimentation and surprise\u2014and in some ways, disappointment\u2014are my lifeline,\u201d she says. \u201cTo me, the point of being an artist is to see something new. You\u2019re always trying to find a new path, confronting a new thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\u2019s found kindred spirits in Myers, Celenza, and many of the scientists she\u2019s consulted. \u201cEvery time I describe why I think art is amazing, when I\u2019m talking to research scientists, it\u2019s like \u2018That\u2019s exactly how I describe science.\u2019 The whole point of it is to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Befitting a project born from such a process, Kim is producing something unique. \u201cThere\u2019s no precedent for doing this,\u201d she says of using&nbsp;<em>E. coli<\/em>&nbsp;to make melanin prints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>A Medium with Many Meanings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In much of her work, Kim has played with ideas of human appearance, and that theme is what first led her to consider working with melanin. \u201cIt\u2019s the most dominant thing that affects [human] appearance in terms of coloration,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Melanin also plays an important role in protecting skin cells from ultraviolet light. But the nuances of melanin\u2019s biological functions can be overshadowed by its role in creating perceptions of racial identity. \u201cIt\u2019s a provocative material,\u201d Kim says. And its use in a work of art carries many levels of meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the question and answer portion of an online talk about her project, one viewer asked Kim if printing on white paper might further the stereotypes that white is pure and black is a blemish. Another asked if the decision to print on cotton paper was a commentary on slavery. It was not\u2014Kim needs to use archival-quality paper, which is typically a cotton blend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s such an important topic,\u201d Kim says. \u201cI want to be mindful and educate myself.\u201d<br>Physically and philosophically, Kim\u2019s melanin prints remain very much a work in progress. What will her final prints depict\u2014and what meaning will they convey? \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t know yet,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Kim will keep experimenting, refining her process and working on larger prints. And she welcomes the extra scrutiny that national events have brought on her work. \u201cIt makes me learn more,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lucy Kim likes to experiment.&nbsp;The&nbsp;award-winning visual artist&nbsp;and CFA associate professor has made a career of manipulating materials into paintings, sculptures, or hybrids that can\u2019t be easily categorized. She has worked with urethane resin, fiberglass, epoxy, oil and acrylic paints, silicone, aluminum foil, burlap, and wood (and that\u2019s just a partial list). She\u2019s built 3D textures [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6245,"featured_media":91453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[373],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[381],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/91434"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91434"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/91434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104399,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/91434\/revisions\/104399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91434"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=91434"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=91434"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=91434"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=91434"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=91434"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=91434"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=91434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}