The D.N.A Stamper offers the public the chance to contemplate the impact of granting someone access to their biological data. The aim of this project is to challenge them to think about how much they value their identity. Who should have access to this information? It simulates extracting a sample of the user’s D.N.A. and uses this to stamp a consent form, to verify the user’s identity and offer tissue for hypothetical testing. The owner of the sample will have to fill in the consent form expressing how much of the information in the D.N.A. the holder will be privy to.
Designer Jamie Thoms took inspiration from companies such as “23andMe” which processes peoples D.N.A. for a fee and films such as “GATTACA” which offer an extreme view of where we could end up if the use of the information contained in D.N.A. becomes public. If this service became a reality, would offering someone access to the information your D.N.A. holds, create a new level in social relationships or is this beginning of genism and discrimination?
Designer: Jamie Thoms
