I have made a personal gene bank that is based on my failed love relationships. I have asked all of them, for example my first (unrequited) love, my high school sweetheart and a friend who did not know about my crush, if I could have their DNA featured in my bank.
DNA is your personal code, a symbol of your unique identity, nevertheless would a potential clone of yourself be you. I think that environment overcomes genetic heritage in most cases, but what the society you live in think about your genes still shapes you and your identity a lot.
The police is sorting out people depending on their genes and relations, they make registers secretly and for their own use. Romani people and abused women have been registered recently in Sweden. Who is selected for ID control in the subway? Who is registered? Other peoples selections and systemizing of different kinds is also forming our identities. What control do you claim or have over your own identity and DNA?
On the bulletin I've collected old diary notes and objects connected to the persons in the genebank like if I was doing an police investigation. The viewer can read the facebooks conversations from when I ased everyone if they would participate and listen to interviews with the subjects of my DNA-collection. What is more personal of all this?
One diary page is about my old boyfriend wanting to give it another try. I collected his DNA and a new note on the bulletin says “Maybe in 200 years we can give it another try, then it all will be different. Then we all will be different.”
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