"The Books of Genome celebrate the beauty of diversity, that originated here, in Ethiopia.
They honor the generosity of the local as an imperative for global diversity."
KOEN VANMECHELEN
Book of Genomes
’The Book of Genome’, was presented to the National Museum of Ethiopia by artist Koen Vanmechelen and the International Livestock Research Institute. Vanmechelen’s artwork is part of the larger art-science installation “Incubated Worlds” that was inaugurated at the Addis Ababa campus of the International Livestock Research Institute on april 26, 2018.
‘Incubated Worlds’ is an ongoing inquiry into co-existence of societies and species and a scientific research project that explores the genetic diversity of poultry in the service of Ethiopian farmers. Through Incubated Worlds, Ethiopia becomes a laboratory for a new balance. An exploration into the diversity of species is returning to the source of human life, from where we left our nest and began to interact with the other.
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It is significant that these books find a home in the National Museum of Ethiopia, being the cradle of civilization and the home of Lucy; the world's most well-known fossil from the early hominids. Similar ‘Book of Genomes’ of the artist are currently on show at ZKM; center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany as part of the group exhibition ‘Open Codes’.
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‘We are honored to present these artworks to the National Museum of Ethiopia. The Books of Genome celebrate the beauty of diversity, that originated here, in this part of the world. It honors the generosity of the local as a prerequisite for the existence of global diversity. It is also a tribute to cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration in solving some of the world’s toughest challenges."
KOEN VANMECHELEN
Adis ababa- Ethiopia
