AN INTERNAL OTHER
Cecilie Falkenstrøm
Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm with contributions from assistant artist and software developer Mathias Warnich, music composer Yann Coppier, researchers Louise Whiteley, Malene Hviid Saxtorph, and Martti Maimets from reNEW Copenhagen, based at University of Copenhagen, Martine de Vries and Amy Lucassen from reNEW Leiden, based at the Leiden University Medical Center, and Megan Munsie and Luisa Lauer from reNEW Melbourne, based at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
Are organoids the future of human health?
Stem cells can be used to grow organoids, which are small bundles of cells woven together to mimic key functions of the heart, ear, brain, intestine, and more. They are used primarily for research and drug testing, but what might this biotechnological breakthrough be used for in the future? Through a series of speculative scenarios, you can navigate the dilemmas and choices that new stem cell research could bring. If we are increasingly able to grow replacement parts in the laboratory from stem cells, where does the boundary between human and technology lie? Developed in dialogue with contemporary researchers, this work is speculative and doesn’t depict existing treatments. Instead, it opens a space for reflection, allowing you to sense and experience the ethical, existential, and human consequences of the promise of a technology that is already on its way.
How many replacements can the body hold before our identity begins to change?
BIOGRAPHY
Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm is an artist and founder of the studio ARTificial Mind in Copenhagen. She works at the intersection of contemporary art and new digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and 3D modeling. Through interactive works and AI-driven experiences, she explores humans’ relationship with technology, identity, and the cosmos—creating spaces for reflection and dialogue about human existence now and in the future.
With contributions from assistant artist and software developer Mathias Warnich, music composer Yann Coppier, inputs from researchers Louise Whiteley, Malene Hviid Saxtorph, and Martti Maimets from reNEW Copenhagen, based at the University of Copenhagen, Martine de Vries and Amy Lucassen from reNEW Leiden, based at the Leiden University Medical Center, and Megan Munsie and Luisa Lauer from reNEW Melbourne, based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
This work was commissioned through the support of reNEW, the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine. It is part of the reNEW Hope Springs Eternal transnational collaboration with Medical Museion, Copenhagen and Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Leiden.
Photography credit: Phoebe Powell