Flylashes from Jessica Harrison on Vimeo.

Just to add some further info about this work - the piece was a video installation as part of a series of works looking into genetic manipulation, experimentation and xenotransplantation - about balancing our scientific and medical developments with our cultural strive for perfection, at the same time exploring and acknowledging society's underlying fear and general mistrust of modified bodies. Flylashes was part of a small series of works using fly parts with other materials, playing with the myth of the chimera in different formats. The work obviously pushes the boundaries of what is and what is not acceptable, in its creation and use of animal parts - the flies came from maggots bought from a fishing tackle shop that were destined for the end of a fishing line. They hatched in my studio, flew around quite a lot and after a few days died naturally. At this point I used the legs and wings for explorative sculptural purposes, in the case of Flylashes, gluing them to my own eye using eyelash glue. The work dates from 2006, during a time I was doing in-depth research into the issues surrounding genetic manipulation and the use of animals and humans in testing - it is intended not as a call to pull apart flies to use as beauty enhancements, but a device to prompt questions about our thoughts and fears surrounding genetic manipulation and the integrity of the body.