Red String of Fate is East Asian mythology in which gods tie an invisible red string between those that are destined to romantically be together. Sputniko! has collaborated with scientists from NIAS (National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan) to create a new species of silkworm that spins the mythical 'Red String of Fate' by adding genes that produce oxytocin, a social-bonding 'love' hormone, and the genes of a red-glowing coral into silkworm eggs. Science has long challenged and demystified the world of mythologies - from Galileo's belief that the earth revolved around the sun to Darwin's theory of evolution and beyond - but in the near future, could genetic engineering be recreating our future mythologies?
The film Red Silk of Fate - Tamaki's Crush unravels a story around the protagonist Tamaki, an aspiring genetic engineer, who engineers her own "Red Silk of Fate" in the hope of winning the heart of her crush, Sachihiko. She sews the "Red Silk of Fate" into her favourite scarf in order to win the love of her dreams, but strange, mythical powers start to inhabit her creation...
命運紅線是東方神話裡的物件，傳說神把隱形的紅線兩端綁在兩個人身上，二人就註定要浪漫廝守。藝術家Sputniko!透過與日本的NIAS (國家農業生物科學硏究所)的科學家合作，通過添加產生催產素的基因創造了一種新種蠶蟲，可以催生愛戀荷爾蒙，還把紅光珊瑚的基因轉化至蠶卵。長期以來科學一直挑戰和揭開神話世界的神秘面紗 – 從伽利略認為地球圍繞太陽轉動的信念到達爾文的進化論等，但在不久的未來，基因工程是否可以再造我們未來的神話呢？
錄像作品《命運紅線 – 玉木的暗戀》是一個關於基因工程師玉木的暗戀故事；她是一個有抱負的人，透過創造她獨家的「命運紅線」，她希望可以贏得暗戀者幸彥的心。她把命運紅線編進自己最喜愛的絲巾裡以希祈得到夢想中的愛情，離奇的是神奇力量就此開始……
biography
Sputniko! is a British-Japanese artist and speculative designer based in Tokyo. She creates film and multimedia installation works which explore the social ethical implications of emerging technologies, especially in the themes of gender and sexuality. She has recently exhibited her works in exhibitions such as the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial (2019), “Broken Nature” at the Milan International Design Triennial (2019) and Setouchi Art Triennial, where she created a permanent art pavilion at the Benesse Art Site in Teshima.
Sputniko! Is currently an Associate Professor at the Tokyo University of Arts. From 2013 to 2017, she worked as an Assistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab, where she founded and directed the Design Fiction group. Other than teaching, she became a TED Fellow and gave a talk at TED2019, and was selected as one of Young Global Leaders (YGL) by the World Economic Forum in 2017. To date, Sputniko! Has had her pieces included in the permanent collections of museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
https://sputniko.com/
Sputniko! 現居東京，是一位英日藝術家及設計師。她擅長製作電影及多媒體裝置，旨在探索新科技在社會倫理所造成的影響，尤其著重於性別及性主題。她的作品近期展於2019年庫珀休伊特設計三年展、2019年米蘭國際設計三年展的 「Broken Nature」以及瀨戶內藝術三年展。在瀨戶內藝術三年展中，她在貝尼斯藝術網站上創建了一個永久性的分館 – 豐島藝術館。
Sputniko! 現為東京藝術大學的副教授。2013-2017年，她曾於美國MIT媒體實驗室擔任助理教授並創立及指導Design Fiction group。除了教職，她亦曾為 TED Fellow，在2019TED2019演講，並在2017年被世界經濟論壇選為全球青年領䄂(YGL)之一。迄今她的作品已被英國維多利亞及阿爾伯特博物館及日本金澤21世紀當代藝術館永久收藏。
https://sputniko.com/
