Last November we talked about the band OK Go's plan to distribute their latest album in DNA. The potential of DNA as a storage medium is staggering, but practical applications are virtually nonexistent. Nevertheless, artists seem more willing to explore that territory, and the latest example is Music of the Spheres.
DNA Storage: From Science to Art
I recall coming across an article about the MinION, a miniature DNA sequencer that connects to a USB port. It's far from perfect, still having speed and accuracy issues to resolve, but scientists are already evaluating its capabilities in basic tasks, and results so far have been very satisfactory. A development like the MinION plants the wild idea of owning a sequencer at home. What could we use it for without being students or genetics professionals? One remote possibility is to read and store information. Obviously, keeping a DNA sample in a jar isn't the same as leaving an external hard drive on a shelf, but if a viable method existed... why not?
Music of the Spheres: The Project
Until then, storing data in DNA is almost under artistic control, and with that in mind we discovered Music of the Spheres, a project by visual artist Charlotte Jarvis and Dr. Nick Goldman from the European Bioinformatics Institute. Thanks to new technology developed by Dr. Goldman, Jarvis was able to commission a musical piece from the Kreutzer Quartet, with the aim of storing it in synthetic DNA samples suspended in a soapy solution. This will allow Jarvis to create different presentations with musical DNA bubbles, where visitors can not only listen to the piece but also touch and bathe in it through the bubbles.
A Successful Kickstarter Campaign
Music of the Spheres isn't a campaign that could generate large demand, but it still managed to double its goal of five thousand pounds on Kickstarter. Among the rewards are tickets to one of the events, photographic prints of the servers at the Institute, and of course, a small bottle of musical DNA for just 20 pounds. I'm not yet sure about the reach of Music of the Spheres due to existing regulations on genetic material, but the page indicates that they ship worldwide. Anyone planning to access a sequencer will definitely be able to listen to this curious (and perhaps unique) piece of art.
