Though 'The Red Silk of Fate - Tamaki's Crush' is a fictional music video and short film, it incorporates very real science into its narrative crux. The video revolves around a genetic engineer, Tamaki, who, in order to win her crush's love, designs red silk thread that contains oxytocin (the supposed "love hormone") and genes that cause it to glow red, then wears an outfit containing the fabric and becomes irresistible. Fanciful though it may be, Sputniko!, the artist behind the project, actually collaborated with scientists from Japan's National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences to create silkworms that produce an oxytocin-spiked material that glows red.
The project was conceived as a reference to East Asian mythology, in which the gods use red silk to tie together those destined to be in love. As Sputniko! herself notes, "Science has long challenged and demystified the world of mythologies...but in the near future, could science be recreating our mythologies?" Merging science and art, 'The Red Silk of Fate' shows the potential for modern invention to recreate the mythologies of millennia past.
Scientific Art Projects
The 'Red Silk of Fate' Creators Made a Mythological Material in Real Life
Trend Themes
1. Genetic Engineering - The collaboration between artists and scientists to create oxytocin-spiked material from silkworms highlights the trend of integrating genetic engineering into artistic projects.
2. Intersection of Science and Art - 'The Red Silk of Fate' demonstrates the growing trend of blending scientific concepts and artistic expressions, presenting an opportunity for disruptive innovation at this intersection.
3. Mythological Reinvention - By using science to recreate mythical elements like the red silk of fate, this project points to the trend of reinventing ancient myths through modern technological advancements.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion and Textiles - The creation of the oxytocin-infused red silk fabric by scientists in collaboration with artists could disrupt the fashion and textiles industry by introducing innovative materials with unique properties.
2. Entertainment and Media - 'The Red Silk of Fate' represents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the entertainment and media industry as it combines scientific storytelling with visual art to create a captivating narrative experience.
3. Biotechnology - The integration of genetic engineering techniques in the creation of glowing silk thread opens up potential disruptive innovation opportunities in the biotechnology industry, particularly in the fields of recombinant DNA and protein production.