Ben Craggs
My thesis will examine the emergence of new media practice that works at the borders of both art and science. The transitory field of bioart has many definitions and encompasses different practices ranging from the application of computer technology to the manipulation of genetic code and cell structures. The common root however is their interaction with new biosciences, particularly biotechnology and the developments that take life or living matter and manipulate it through technical intervention. The intention of this research is to question the role both art and science practice play in constructing political and philosophical concepts that become identified as 'life'. Vehemently opposed to positioning art, science or the humanities hierarchically in terms of 'value' I am interested in understanding how knowledge is mediated, how it gains cultural, social and political value in order to facilitate a more nuanced understanding of the stories we tell about ourselves, about ‘the Other’ and about the 'world'.
Ben holds a Bachelors degree in Contemporary Media Practice from the University of Westminster where he specialised in Software Design as Art Practice and a Masters Degree in Digital Media from Goldsmiths College.