Heath Bunting discussed "SuperWeed" as part of the irational presentation. "SuperWeed" is based on the idea of creating a weed that is resistant to pesticides. When planting a "Natural Reality SuperWeed kit 1.0", which includes seeds of several different pioneering plants, one assists nature in producing a mutated weed that can not be destroyed by products such as Monsanto's Round-upTM. The desired effect is a type of corporate terrorism on a very natural scale.
Q: Please describe your project. What are the key issues and concepts of your project?
HB: Property and representation.
Q: How do you position your work within the context of "Life Science"?
HB: Oppositional.
Q: What is your impression of Ars Electronica so far?
HB: Right wing propaganda.
Q: Have you seen anything that you are particularly interested in?
HB: Thought of stealing the scientific equipment from the people doing DNA finger printing.
Q: Is this project representative of your body of work or is it different in some way?
HB: Same concepts - different media.
Q: What are the differences between this project and your previous projects?
HB: SuperWeed traverses the boundary between representation and reality.
Q: What are the structures and support systems that allow you to do your work?
HB: Internet, art world, activism.
Q: As an artist working in a technological or scientific crossover, are you developing alliances and working relationships with commercial or corporate research and development venues?
HB: None. Might do later. As an intervention biotech hobbyist I was thinking of doing this though http://www.irational.org/biotech/
Q: How do you envision art in the future regarding new technologies, new science and a new millennium? How do you envision your work in this context?
HB: I will soon start work on SuperWeed kit 2.0 which will incorporate a terminator technology gene capable of sterilising target organism (GM).
Q: How do you think the social dynamic of the network art community unfolds when we are together here in real time?
HB: Lots of eating, some sex and plenty of chat. You might like to take a look at: ccs radio collective - http://www.irational.org/ccs/
Switch V5N3 - Interviews from Ars Electronica '99 by Paula Poole