Event 3: The HOX Zodiac Project

HOX Zodiac is a project focusing on the intersections of the gene HOX and the Chinese animal horse zodiac (Building Bridges Art Exchange). It shows that science does not have to be completely devoid of culture, and instead, culture can be incorporated. In the STEM fields, culture is often considered a detriment in day-to-day work. However. HOX presents a compelling argument for bringing Chinese culture and the study of genetics together.

The HOX Zodiac project is a dinner table with humans sitting as Chinese Zodiac animals, being served food and herbs associated with each zodiac illustrating food as an art form (Building Bridges Art Exchange). Food can be considered an art form because of the cultural connections we make with what we eat, and art’s ability to form an emotional connection with an audience (Neely).

The HOX also encourages spectators to remove themselves from the hierarchy of organisms we see on Earth. Humans are often seen as the dominant group in the hierarchy of organisms. Humans are also ego-centered, and so we are not often privy to this hierarchical structure or how it has actualized consequences in our lives. This focus area is reminiscent of bioartists Kathy High and Adam Zaretsky challenging our “sense of human uniqueness through exhibitions that explore less-known aspects of animal behavior and culture” (Levy).

The HOX Zodiac project encourages audience members to get out of their heads and pay attention to our relationship with other animals and the richness of cultures based on food as art. 

Works Cited

Building Bridges Art Exchange. “HOX ZODIAC.” Sci Center + Lab, https://artsci.ucla.edu/node/1390. Accessed 10 June 2022.

Levy, Ellen. Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications.

Neely, Crystal. “The Significance of Food in Culture: Is Taste an Art Form?” UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2007.