Lucy Kim, an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts and a Faculty Affiliate at the BU Center for Antiracist Research, is working on a project with two Biology undergraduate researchers, Allison Suarez and Xingpei Zhang.
Her recent project, Melanin images via genetically modified E. Coli, develops a unique way to create screen-prints with melanin, which is the primary pigment of human skin, hair, and eye color and can be produced by genetically modified E.coli cells. The process involves screen-printing E. coli cells onto paper and placing them in an incubator. As E. coli starts to produce melanin, an image begins to show and will stay alive until the bacteria is killed. This project started in 2019 during her Artist-in-Residency at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She is now continuing her project at Boston University with the support of Biology Professor Dr. Chip Celenza.
Under Professor Kim’s supervision, two Biology undergraduate researchers, Allison Suarez and Xingpei Zhang, conduct their research to find different approaches to creating screen-printed photographic images of eumelanin-producing E.Coli cells. Allison Suarez, a junior studying Biology and Chemistry, is researching screen printing recombinant E. Coli and melanin structure determination and preservation. Xingpei Zhang, a senior studying Biology, is working on optimizing E. Coli expression of the Rhizobium etli CFN42 tyrosinase gene melA by reducing protease activity chaperone overexpression.
The Broad Institute of MIT produced a video featuring her project and biology students. You can watch the video here. If you want to know more about the project, click here.
In 2022, Professor Lucy Kim was awarded the Creative Capital grant for her Melanin Images project. The Creative Capital is a non-profit organization that aims to fund innovative work in visual arts and other multidisciplinary practices. Professor Kim’s project was one of the top 50 projects selected for this grant out of the 4,000 submissions.