Please excuse cross postings - I have forwarded this message from one of
our research consultants.

Please reply to Chris at the following address, not me. Thanks!

> From:         Christopher Ziguras[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To:     [log in to unmask]
>
> Subject: Interpreting debates in biotechnology
>
> The Human Mind and Body Program at the Museum of Victoria (Australia)
> is currently
> developing an exhibition with the working title of Bio-tech and
> Beyond. There are two
> areas of this exhibition which have not been dealt with in museums to
> a great extent, (our best information so far has been from the "Here
> and Now" conference proceedings of 1996) but which we are keen to
> develop as part of this exhibition.
>
> The first is representing the controversies which are part of current
> biotechnological development for a broad audience. Some exhibitions
> have
> used hypothetical scenarios to put the visitor in the hot seat and
> giving
> them some insight into the dilemmas involved in making bioethical
> decisions. Another example of this technique (on a more commercial
> scale) is the 'Design Your Child' game at the Gattaca website:
> (www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/SonyMovies/movies/Gattaca/home.html)
>
> While this format represents debates from a consumer choice
> perspective, we are also looking at ways of interpreting the 'bigger
> picture' of bioethics in which the direction of biotech
> development is debated between powerful institutions. An example of
> this
> is the debate about whether genetically modified foods should be
> labeled
> as such. If anyone has experience with interpreting similar
> biotechnological issues
> we would love to hear from you.
>
> The second area we are interested in is the interpretation of the
> future of
> bio-tech. While museums often depict versions of the past, the
> future could be a more contentious subject, especially in an area
> where
> technological development is so rapid and has powerful implications.
> We are
> interested in hearing from anyone who has had experience with the
> interpretation of possible futures in a museum context, and how those
> futures have been related to contemporary developments.
>
> _______________________________________________________
>
> Christopher Ziguras                           PO Box 666E
> Research Consultant                           Melbourne VIC 3001
> Human Mind and Body Program                   Australia
> Museum of Victoria
>                                               Tel:(+61 3)9291 2196
>                                               Fax:(+61 3)9291 2195
> Email: [log in to unmask]                      Mobile: 0419 552 438
>