Georg Tremmel (AT), Shiho Fukuhara (JP) / BCL
www.common-flowers.org

Honorary Mention Hybrid Art
Installation

“The ‘Common Flowers’ project is based on the first commercially available genetically modified flower, the blue ‘Moondust’ GM carnation developed and marketed by Japanese beer-brewing company Suntory. But although Suntory applied for and was granted permission to grow this GM plant in its key markets, it has chosen not to. Instead the blue GM flowers are grown in Columbia, harvested, and shipped as cut flowers to the worldwide markets.

With ‘Common Flowers’ we reverse the plant-growing process, by growing, multiplying and technically “cloning” new plants from purchased cut flowers using plant tissue culture methods. The blue GM carnations are brought back to life using DIY biotech methods involving everyday kitchen utensils and easily purchasable and ready materials.

And because the plants are officially considered ‘not harmful’ and therefore legally permitted to be grown outside, we took the next logical step and released the blue GM carnation into the environment. This action is intended ask questions about the state of intellectual property, ownership and copyright issues surrounding the bio-hacking and bio-bending of plants. Our goal is to make these flowers available as shared ‘Common flowers’ and to create the free spaces where they can grow and prosper, in a ‘flower commons’.”

Georg Tremmel, Shiho Fukuhara