Whose saliva would you like to own?
The Saliva Bar offers the opportunity to trade your own saliva with others facilitated by saliva baristas in a customized dispensary experience. After spitting in a vial, you tag the sample with self-identified descriptors, and in exchange, are allowed to browse the library of saliva for a vial of someone else’s saliva to take home — perhaps that of a “queer, Asian, dog-loving doctor” or an “athletic French woman with ADHD.” The counter-gesture of this saliva exchange sidesteps the anonymity of medical and corporate entities, and invites conversation about data privacy, race, gender, and class as they pertain to genetic material. While the decision to exchange saliva may seem strange to some, it should be each individual’s decision.
The practice embraces bodily autonomy in a moment when reproductive rights are being threatened.
Outside the Saliva Bar, digital signage created in collaboration with @reas displays a “tongue texted” message inviting you to the exchange asking “Are you the perfect specimen?”
Consent is a key element and custom software prompts a human-friendly negotiation of the terms of exchange. Do you consent to your saliva being used ...for research? ...to reproduce biological material? ...by insurance companies? ...to create weapons? Each saliva receipt documents the terms.
Credits Lead Artist: Lauren Lee Surrogate collaboration: Dorothy R. Santos Surrogate cinematography: Gabriel Noguez Surrogate graphic design: Stefanie Tam Surrogate prosthetic research and development: Paul Esposito The Intended Parents film direction: David Leonard The Intended Parents assistant camera: Liz Ehlers, Jake Frankenfield, John Szczepaniak The Intended Parents cast: Howard Cai & Jose Infante, Fredrik Bystzof & Karen Bystzof, Christine Cabana & Ari Huber, Miguel Cavazos & Maui Santos, Sam Congdon, Catherine Cray & Debra Smalley, Diana Hardy & Antoine Ramsey, Sophia Lapaglia & Oliver Mason, Dorothy R. Santos, Yasi Salek & Sean Preston, Nathalie Shapiro & Glen Callahan Training Set sculpture design collaboration and fabrication: Eunice Choi Are you the perfect specimen? co-direction: Casey Reas Saliva consent and software co-design and dev: Boaz Sender Saliva graphic design: Lauren Leung Cramer Saliva device development: Song Wu Saliva software support: Wylie Kasai Saliva Retreat film direction: David Leonard Saliva Retreat cinematography and editing: Gabriel Noguez Saliva Retreat second camera: Sean Rowry Saliva Retreat sound recording: Matthew Sanchez Saliva Retreat sound mix: Evan Arnold Saliva Retreat film production assistance: Antonio Noguez Saliva Retreat Performance Stage Manager: Chelly Jin Saliva Retreat performance production assistance: Isabella Lee and Antigoni Tsagkaropoulou Saliva Retreat participants: Chelly Jin, Isabella Lee, Antigoni Tsagkaropoulou Cast: Aya, Abi, Alice Bucknell, Ramie Abu-Zahra, Siena Chiang, Eunice Choi, Taeyoon Choi, Connor Cook, Behnaz Farahi, Jim Fetterley, Alex UF, Huntrezz, Chelly Jin, Isabella Lee, Parag K. Mital, Laya, So Sun Park, Casey Reas, Boaz Sender, Yasaman Sheri, Antigoni Tsagkaropoulou, Sammie Veeler, Xin Xin, Kim Ye, Qianqian Ye Exhibition design: Salmah Beydoun Exhibition fabrication: Ryan Lewis Lighting fabrication: Ariel Uzal Creative production: Daniel Soto Production and studio assistance: Lela Barclay De Tolly, Chelly Jin, Wylie Kasai, Karina Lopez, Sagan Yee Production support from UCLA Social Software Design: IN-FO.CO Spanish translation: Tatiana Lipkes Assistant preparators: Adrian-Dre Diaz, Andrea Luna, Millie Root Gallery guides: Jordan Cathcart, Lynelle Collo, Emily Fonseca, Eva Intoci, Nicole Karolak, Stephania Torres-Londono Communications and events production assistant: Christin Bailey Curator: Ceci Moss, UCSD Mandeville Art Gallery
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