Institute History
Description
A project born out of the artist’s desire to participate in the living, reproducing process, Surrogate explores what “kin” means when rapidly developing reproductive technologies — such as in vitro fertilization, egg and sperm donation, embryo freezing, DNA testing, and gene editing — shift our relationships. How much control should we have over a birthing person’s body, and over a life before they join the world?
This multifaceted work consists of interviews with relatives, sperm donors, and intended parents, as well as future letters and an ongoing dialogue with Lauren Lee McCarthy’s own unborn baby. The artist herself is biologically integrated into Surrogate through live “womb walk” performances, during which audiences can control the movement of McCarthy’s pregnant body using a custom app.
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