In 2011 I was diagnosed with a BRCA genetic mutation. Absent illness or symptoms, doctors and genetic counselors advised me to contribute to international databases tracking those with BRCA (primarily Ashkenazi Jews), and to undergo significant surgery and genetic surveillance “for my own good.” This sparked the genesis for my husband (Jeff Jacoby) and I to initiate planning for an interactive multimedia art installation currently titled “For Our Own Good: How My Life-saving Surveillance Destroyed Democracy.”

These first images developed for the project begin to pose taboo questions about lack of current societal oversight and regulation on the use (and potential misuse) of our private data.

The “Big Pharma Tried to Patent My DNA” works, are a series of unique monoprint-transfers on vintage pillowcase. To create the imagery I downloaded the unsuccessful application submitted by a pharmaceutical company attempting to patent the BRCA1 gene (containing my genetic mutation). I then use digital tools to combine individual pages from the patent application with modified self-portrait and WWII “Jude” star.

For “Branded by her Genetic Mutation” I drew from the nude model with watercolor pencil, and scanned the drawing into the computer. I then downloaded the unsuccessful application submitted by a pharmaceutical company attempting to patent the BRCA1 gene (containing my genetic mutation). Using digital tools I collaged a portion of my gene sequence into the nude. This imagery has been used to create unique life-sized monoprint-transfers on various fabrics, as well as digitally printed on fabric.

My damaged and disfigured dolls serve as disarming surrogates, allowing captions and titles to pose taboo questions about some of the harsher fears and realities of diagnosis, treatment, and navigation within “the medical maze” of probabilities and outcomes. The doll portraits begin as oil paintings, then are digitized, altered in scale and adjusted, then sometimes captioned with digitally hand-written text. The current final images on fabric are printed at large scale onto fabric, and will be reworked in terms of text, scale, and medium.

The monoprint/transfers are unique works. The fabric prints are NOT Giclée prints, which are digital reproductions of traditional mediums. Because the final version of these works resides in the computer, the paper or fabric prints are digital originals.

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