The LU Arts’ project, ‘Between the Lines’ resulted in an exhibition in Martin Hall gallery in January 2022. It demonstrated how artists can work across disciplines. Through her work Sarah explored the lived experiences of international students studying at universities in the UK through DNA data storage.
DNA data storage is an emerging innovative technology that allows digital information to be encoded into synthetic (laboratory created) DNA. In the same way that we can store data on memory sticks or the cloud, DNA can also be used as a digital storage medium, with the digital data retrieved via DNA sequencing.
The digital data for this project were the written testimonies of international students who have faced difficult immigration practices, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These testimonies were encoded into synthetic DNA by Twist Bioscience, embedded into writing ink and inserted into pens. Sarah distributed these pens to staff at UK Higher Education institutions to highlight the issues facing these students, so that their lived experiences can permeate these institutions as the pen holders use them in their daily work.
As part of the project, Sarah met with research groups and academics from Loughborough University, including the Politicised Practice Research Group and the Centre for Biological Engineering, in addition to student groups such as Loughborough FemSoc.
Sarah went on to exhibit the work at the Science Gallery in London.
The Lumen Prize is a global competition which aims to celebrate art created with technology.