ARTIFICIAL BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

The promises posed by new reproductive technologies such as IVF, test tube babies and egg freezing, are blurring perceptions of the reproductive cycle amongst women, and consequently, the age of conception is constantly being challenged. 

The female body clock relies on moonlight to regulate the menstrual cycle. The use of artificial light and contraceptive hormones, along with the growing pressure to develop a career, are distorting the body's reproductive signals. The artificial biological clock compensates for this increasingly lost instinct.

This object acts as constant reminder of the temporary and fragile nature of fertility. Given to a woman by her parents or partner, it reacts to information from her doctor, therapist and bank manager via an online service. When she is physically, mentally and financially ready to conceive the object awakes, seeking her attention.

                   

                       

             Revital Cohen 2006/8

                         Revital Cohen
''As technology develops the ability to break the boundaries between natural kingdoms and fuse the organic with the artificial, we are slowly liberating ourselves from the limitations imposed by biology and redefining our anatomy, mind and environment.

I am excited by the possibilities of merging man with machine, with other species, with plants, with digital information. Cross-breeding the kingdoms opens up new design opportunities and a space for debate.''

http://www.design-interactions.rca.ac.uk/revital-cohen

Revital Cohen is a designer who develops critical objects and provocative scenarios exploring the juxtaposition of the natural with the artificial. Her work spans across various mediums and includes collaborations with scientists, bioethicists and animal breeders.