Michelle Shengyu Li


Selected Works

"god's eye" / "god in a seed" I 
(CRISPR-Edited Bacterial Print)



CRISPR-edited E.coli bacteria, agar, petri dish, epoxy resin, stainless steel, walnut, DALL· E, Adobe Photoshop

9 x 9 x 50 in
2023
Bacterial print design in petri dish created by merging and editing DALL· E generated responses to prompts “god’s eye” and “god in a seed.” 

CRISPR gene-editing technology allows humans to change the colour of the E.coli bacteria from blue to white, granting god-like control over the life of these organisms. Yet as the bacteria become the image of this generated “god,” the lines of power between god, bacteria, AI, and the human hand blur. The piece explores parallel fears of AI surveillance and omniscient deities through human control or lack thereof with that we do not know and that which seems to know us too well.








Merged and edited image created through Adobe Photoshop with DALL· E generated responses to prompts “god’s eye” and “god in a seed.”