In many senses, we are all chimera cyborgs.

 

First, we are chimera. Animal cells contain mitochondria which originally were separate cells that were incorporated symbiotically into a host cell. Such inclusion proved to be a good deal for both the host cell and the mitochondria precursor cell. Then studies of humans find that most of us contain other human cells in our body that have genetically different DNA than our cells. These cells are usually cells that crossed the placenta from our mother, or cells from a fraternal twin that got incorporated in our body in early embryo development. Our fraternal twin may or may not have developed into a fetus. Next, we (the 40 trillion human DNA cells that make up us) could not live without the additional 30 trillion bacteria cells that inhabit out body inside and out. And further medical and scientific advance is making many of us into engineered chimera, e.g. developing insulin producing cells to transplant in diabetics, transplanting donor organs, etc. 

 

Second, man has always been a kind of cyborg, incapable of surviving without appliances from simple tools major appliances and prosthetic devices. And we are becoming more cyborgic as these appliances are integrated in deep life sustaining ways into and around our bodies (e.g. pacemakers, intelligent prosthetics, nerve stimulation, memory and internet implants).

 

Third, our dreams are vast, because they have always been both culturally enabled and redacted. This painting started by represent a variety of chimera cyborgs. These can be seen in the background as many strange creatures among symbols and words. Yes have multiple roles and symbolic capabilities, yet this version of the painting was completely wrong. Then ahha, we have dreams redacted (e.g. taboos). And so I began adding small rectangles of color as redaction. Then further ahha, we have many many dreams redacted; thus my redaction became more complete by using Mondrian-like blocks of color for redaction. But beyond or overriding our many roles and symbolic capabilities and dreams redacted; we are each a core being trying to integrate brilliantly a selfness mess. So ahh, I self-plagerized a large chimera cyborg that I had sketch several years earlier (maybe 2009). Then, I wrote a poem and then painted it upon the canvas. Thus my work often evolves in the doing.

 

And finally, Chimera Cyborg Dreams Redacted illustrates how boundary crossing ideas of are. I think of this painting as political, scientific, philosophical, psychological, sociological, autobiographical, etc., i.e. a universal.