天堂+地球+喬．戴維斯 Heaven + Earth + Joe Davis
2014
紀錄片 Documentary
1:27’40”

這部紀錄片是由導演彼得．薩索斯基所拍攝，講述的是生物藝術之父喬．戴維斯，他傳送陰道收縮的聲音到外太空與外星生物通訊、將希臘詩句編碼後寫入基因轉殖生物、以及遊歷世界各地探索藝術、科學和物理學界之間錯綜複雜的關係。喬．戴維斯從麻省理工學院和哈佛大學，找來幾位大師一起合作，協助我們找到自己在宇宙中的地位。知名藝評人詹姆斯‧埃金斯曾經這樣形容過他：「在我心裡，他是還在世的藝術家當中最有趣的……」在這部片中，享受一趟從實驗室到酒館再回來的瘋狂旅程，提醒我們凡事都是有可能發生的。本影片之背景音樂使用加拿大後搖滾樂團Do.Make.Say.Think.的作品。

An award-winning documentary about the godfather of BioArt who sends vaginal contractions into deep-space to communicate with aliens; encodes Greek poetry into transgenic organisms and travels the world exploring the inextricable connections between art, science and the physical world. Joe Davis enlists the collaboration of some of the great minds of MIT and Harvard to help us find our place in the universe. The renowned art critic James Elkins has said of him: "to my mind the most interesting living artist...". Enjoy a wild ride from laboratory to bar room and back again in this film that reminds us that anything is possible. Featuring the music of Do.Make.Say.Think.

導演 彼得．薩索斯基 的話 

我最初是在1990年代後期，在麻州劍橋的一家酒吧見到喬‧戴維斯，他戴著他的義肢，和一名年輕女子一起旋轉跳舞，然後重重地摔在地上，但是笑著站起來了。當時我並不知道他是做什麼工作的，知道之後也是難以置信，只是當下從他身上感受到一股純粹的氣息，深深為之吸引。

在後來的幾年，為了解他的生活和工作，我跟著他遊歷了葡萄牙、德國、法國、塞爾維亞、克羅埃西亞、斯洛維尼亞、希臘、瑞典、加拿大和美國各地。他為自己創造出一種獨特的藝術自由氣息，不但具有教育意義，有時候也很啟發人心，但是他卻為此付出了極大的代價。因為喬是基因轉殖生物方面的研究先驅，也被譽為「生物藝術之父」，美國的《夜線》節目和《科學人》雜誌都曾報導過他，而月他也和幾位現代科學界最偉大的科學家合作過，但這並不是我拍攝這部片的原因。

好的藝術形塑了我們對這個世界的認知，但往往最富有想像力的藝術家，卻是最少被了解的，至少在他們的有生之年是如此。我沒資格評斷喬是不是那些先驅之一，只知道在討論這個領域對人類的意義時，他提供了獨特的貢獻。

From the director Peter Sasowsky

I first saw Joe Davis at a bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was the late 1990s and he was twirling around on his peg-leg, giving a young woman the dance of her life. He fell hard on the ground, but got up, smiling. At that moment, I did not know - nor would have believed - what he does in his working life. I was simply drawn to a pureness of spirit that I sensed was present in him.

In the years that followed, I have traveled with him to Portugal, Germany, France, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Sweden, Canada, as well as all over the United States in order to understand his life and his work. He has created a particular type of artistic freedom for himself that is instructive and, at times, inspirational, but one that comes at a great cost. He has been called the "Father of Bio-art" for his pioneering work with transgenic organisms. He has been featured on Nightline, in Scientific American, and has collaborated with some of the greatest minds in contemporary science. But that is not why I made this film.

What good art does is shape our perception of the world. The artists who offer the greatest leaps of imagination are often the least understood - at least within their lifetimes. It is not for me to say whether or not Joe is one of those pioneers. What I do know is that he offers a unique contribution to the discussion of what it means to be human.

彼得．薩索斯基

彼得．薩索斯基是Serious製片公司的創辦人和導演。這家製片公司為基金會及慈善機構提供劇本發想、紀錄片和敘事電影的製作、企業傳播及媒體事務等工作。這部《天堂+地球+喬．戴維斯》紀錄片，曾於舊金山獨立製片電影節和曼菲斯獨立製片電影節獲獎。薩索斯基最新的敘事短片《莫哈維》，在綠點影展獲得了最佳敘事短片獎。除了製片和導演之外，他也擔任多部影片的編劇、剪接和動態圖像設計師的工作。

Peter Sasowsky

Peter Sasowsky is the founder and director of Serious Motion Pictures, a script to screen production company that produces documentary and narrative films, corporate communications, and media for foundations and philanthropies. His documentary feature Heaven + Earth + Joe Davis, won top honors at SF Indie Film Festival, and Memphis Independent Film Festival. His latest short narrative film Mojave was awarded best Narrative Short at the Greenpoint Film Festival. In addition to producing, and directing he has served as writer, editor, and motion graphics animator on numerous projects.

喬．戴維斯

1973年於俄勒岡州的天使山學院拿到了創意藝術學位後，喬．戴維斯在貝爾電話實驗室率先採用了雷射雕刻的方法創作。1981年，他進入麻省理工學院的高級視覺研究中心，擔任研究人員和講師的工作。戴維斯專注在天文物理學和外星生命的研究，並於1986年創作了〈微納斯〉，也是第一個遺傳工程藝術作品。他於1986至1987年創作的〈陰道之詩〉，以及2009年創作的〈二磷酸核酮糖羧化酶星〉，都是史上傳送到其他恆星時間最長的無線電信息。1989年，戴維斯加入了亞歷山大‧里奇在麻省理工學院的實驗室，在那裡他被廣泛認為開創了藝術和生物學的新領域。他的計畫中與「DNA編碼語言」相關的作品都經常在科學出版品中被引用。2010年，他加入了喬治‧丘奇在哈佛大學的實驗室，成為「藝術科學家」。2011年，戴維斯與哈佛大學、日本農業生物資源研究所合作，針對蠶進行基因改造，製造與金屬黃金結合、生物礦物化後的蠶絲。2020年戴維斯和巴基斯坦生物學家莎拉‧可汗合作的〈Baitul Ma’mur〉，演示了最新的DNA最高密度儲存資訊的技術。2012年，他在奧地利電子藝術節擔任專題演講的講者，並於2008年獲頒了洛克斐勒獎。

Joe Davis

While earning his Creative Arts degree (1973) from Mt Angel College in Oregon, Joe Davis pioneered sculptural methods in laser carving at Bell Telephone Laboratories. In 1981, he joined MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies as Research Fellow and Lecturer. Davis’ work has had strong focus in astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life. In 1986, Davis created Microvenus, the first genetically engineered work of art. His Poetica Vaginal (1986-7) and Rubisco Stars (2009), were the longest-duration radio messages ever transmitted to other stars. Davis joined Alexander Rich’s laboratory at MIT in 1989 where he is widely regarded to have founded new fields in art and biology. His projects involving “DNA programming languages” have been frequently cited in scientific literature. In 2010, he joined the laboratory of George Church at Harvard as “Artist Scientist.” In 2011, Davis worked with collaborators at Harvard and the Japanese National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences to genetically modify silkworms in order to produce transgenic silks bio-mineralized with metallic gold. With “Baitul Ma’mur” (2020) Davis and Pakistani biologist Sarah Khan demonstrated highest density information-keeping in DNA to date. He was keynote speaker at Ars Electronica, Austria (2012) and the recipient of a Rockefeller Fellowship (2008).