Abstract
Three characters walk into a bar, a Virus, a Human and Santa Claus.
The bar tender refuses to serve the Human and Santa Claus on the basis that he regards them as chimera1, but happily serves the Virus with three beakers of industrial alcohol, which the Virus generously shares with his two colleagues. As the bar is otherwise empty, the bar tender joins them at a table, where a lively discussion ensues in the form of a classical exposition and argumentative discourse designed to test the identity, integrity and sovereignty of each drinker.
This hypothetical scenario seeks to analyse the biological identity and historical constructions that define life, and to trace the genetic exchanges, leakages and seepages that take place between radically divergent species, in particular the incorporation of exogenous genetic material delivered by a virus —the Virus being confident 2 that at least 8% of the Human he sits next to is composed of the DNA of ancient retroviruses that have infected the germ cells (eggs and sperm) of the Human species over the course of millions of years.
The scientist might well ask the Virus if it is a living or non-living being, since it cannot reproduce independently, only within the cell of a living entity. In the same manner the Virus might also turn his attention to the jolly and extremely palpable figure of Santa Claus and ask the same question. Santa Claus would have to respond that despite the many historical claims to his authentic identity3, his existence is only reproduced in the minds of young humans propelled with the assistance of entities such as the Coca Cola Corporation of America4. In his defence Santa might propose that in spite of this, he is just as real, in fact even more real, than the Virus, in consideration of the profound effect that he has over human behaviour, belief systems and relationships—after all, he can cite the fact that more people believe in him than the reality of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
In a nutshell the paper intertwines biological and genetic ’realities’ with constructs of the human imaginary, in an attempt to tease out the ever blurry outlines of existence identity, and belief systems.
The bar tender refuses to serve the Human and Santa Claus on the basis that he regards them as chimera1, but happily serves the Virus with three beakers of industrial alcohol, which the Virus generously shares with his two colleagues. As the bar is otherwise empty, the bar tender joins them at a table, where a lively discussion ensues in the form of a classical exposition and argumentative discourse designed to test the identity, integrity and sovereignty of each drinker.
This hypothetical scenario seeks to analyse the biological identity and historical constructions that define life, and to trace the genetic exchanges, leakages and seepages that take place between radically divergent species, in particular the incorporation of exogenous genetic material delivered by a virus —the Virus being confident 2 that at least 8% of the Human he sits next to is composed of the DNA of ancient retroviruses that have infected the germ cells (eggs and sperm) of the Human species over the course of millions of years.
The scientist might well ask the Virus if it is a living or non-living being, since it cannot reproduce independently, only within the cell of a living entity. In the same manner the Virus might also turn his attention to the jolly and extremely palpable figure of Santa Claus and ask the same question. Santa Claus would have to respond that despite the many historical claims to his authentic identity3, his existence is only reproduced in the minds of young humans propelled with the assistance of entities such as the Coca Cola Corporation of America4. In his defence Santa might propose that in spite of this, he is just as real, in fact even more real, than the Virus, in consideration of the profound effect that he has over human behaviour, belief systems and relationships—after all, he can cite the fact that more people believe in him than the reality of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
In a nutshell the paper intertwines biological and genetic ’realities’ with constructs of the human imaginary, in an attempt to tease out the ever blurry outlines of existence identity, and belief systems.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Sydney |
| Publisher | SonicObjects; SonicArchitecture |
| Size | Performance |
| Publication status | Published - 17 Sept 2023 |
Bibliographical note
This one-act play was presented as a Leonardo Lazer Talk at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular (Univerity of Lisboa), at Cultivamos Cultura, Sau Luis, Portucgal and at The Malta Society for the Arts, as part of the Taboo, Transgression, Trancendence in Art and Science.Keywords
- performance
- Genetics education