From an ornamental perspective one might ask what would such a plant look like…would it still have petals? Would there be changes to its colorations? And so on…in such a case what does this change in ornamentation tell us? [...]
Dreaming of a rose for Mars is a rather naïve delve into symbolic and perhaps visual imagery, but it doesn’t offer any consolation in terms of beauty – it’s poetic imagery merges with the harsh conditions of its destination and the alien is created. Aliens are of course ugly and our relations to them from a cultural aspect, often take form as humanoids, with either too many or too few limbs or organs. Our culture is a constant producer of ideas, imagery and language – we force new meanings onto old, opening networks and connections between. Artists are also part of channelling this through works, writings and discussions. What does it mean to create life for Mars? What kind of life are we talking about? Is our goal to make Mars habitable? Unless life is found, our only option seems to have a Mars which would be, if not totally, genetically engineered (GE). Does this change anything?
