EL & Us-engineering life and us-explores the thin line between contemporary art and molecular
research. It is the compelling collaboration between Michel Comte and the NCCR MSE (National
Center of Competence in Research Molecular Systems Engineering) at the University of Basel and
ETH Zurich to translate science into art and reveal this life-changing research to a broad
audience. The cutting-edge combination of biology and engineering allows deep interventions
into living organisms that are now on the verge of substantially impacting human health and
disease treatment. Such comprehensive paradigm-shifting change accordingly requires the
consent of a society well informed through interactive and ethically conducted debate. To
facilitate this and bridge the communication gap between complex science and the general public
the NCCR MSE has created Art of Molecule an interdisciplinary framework through which
contemporary artists discuss challenge and (re-)form the project's research goals. EL & Us is
Michel Comte's proactive contribution to this project and its central issue: can engineering
life lead to a better future?
