Stranger Visions: DNA From the Streets Traced Back to You

Have you ever dropped something on the street while you were walking? Perhaps a chewed up wad of gum that lost its flavor, or even just a strand of hair from a hairbrush. Whatever it might be, most don’t give it a second thought as they walk away. But what if someone picked that item up? Extracted your DNA and somehow found out how you might look, what color your hair or eyes are, or even your ethnicity. Strange, isn’t it?

Believe it or not, this exact situation occurred when Heather Dewey-Hagborg, an American-Canadian artist and biohacker, mainly operating in New York, decided to analyze items from the streets of New York. From this DNA attached to said trash, Dewey-Hagborg was able to construct entire full-color 3D models of what the person who dropped the item may look like. These models were then 3D printed and displayed as part of the Centre Pompidou collections in Paris. Though the real question is: How did she get entire faces from trash?

The technology used to curate Stranger Visions is called Forensic DNA Phenotyping. This technique is used when investigating people to create an image of what they may look like out of, you guessed it, their DNA. Forensic DNA Phenotyping can give investigators an idea of where the person is from, their appearance, or in some cases, the person’s age. However, this method is not frequently used due to potential inaccuracy. In the text, “Stranger Visions” by the Heather Dewey-Hagborg website, the author states that the project was meant to shine a light on how forensic DNA phenotyping is actively developing and the potential of future “biological surveillance.”

The next time you drop something on the ground, a strand of hair from your hairbrush, spat out gum, or a cigarette, know that it can put together a picture of you. Stranger Visions gives society an almost surreal, yet fascinating insight on just how much DNA can reveal about people. Some say it’s an invasion of privacy, others just marvel at Dewey-Hagborg’s amazing work. Whatever you may think of her art, just remember, there can always be stranger visions.