Resurrecting the Sublime | Nature–Design Triennial
Channel: Cooper Hewitt
Date: 2019-07-02

This project approximates the smell of an extinct flower. Researchers extracted DNA sequences from historic samples of the extinct flower and inserted the sequences into yeast cells, cultured them, and extracted molecules to approximate the flower’s scent. The project raises probing questions about the implications of loss, centered on the sensory experience of extinction.

On view in "Nature–Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial" through January 2020.

This video is audio described to make it more accessible.

Edited by Inferstudio; Sound design by Sam Conran; 6:23 minutes; All courtesy of the designers

Christina Agapakis (American, born 1984), Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg (British and South African, born 1982), and Sissel Tolaas (Norwegian, born 1963), with support from IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.) and Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.

Contributing Teams: Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.: Natsai Audrey Chieza, Grace Chuang, Jason Kakoyiannis, JasonKelly, Scott Marr, Krishna Patel, Kit McDonnell, Christian Ridley, Dayal Saran, Atsede Siba, Dawn Thompson, and Jue Wang; Paleogenomics: Joshua Kapp and Beth Shapiro, Paleogenomics Lab, University of California, SantaCruz; DNA Synthesis: Twist Bioscience; Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg: Ana Maria Nicolaescu, Johanna Just, Ness Lafoy, Ioana Mann, Stacie Woolsey, and Nicholas Zembashi; With thanks to: Michaela Schmull, Harvard University Herbarium