Dove Allouche

Comets and meteorites have preserved the memory of the early days of our solar system. Scientists study comet and meteorite dust to gain an understanding of how the solar system formed and how its components have evolved.

The ultimate goal of this research is to understand the origin of life on Earth and, by implication, on other, similar planets. One of the current hypotheses is that fragments of comets or meteorites introduced molecules (amino acids, key components of ribonucleic acid – a possible ancestor of terrestrial DNA) that may have been the basis of a complex chemistry triggering the emergence of life.

The issue of the origin of life appeals directly to human emotions and subjectivity, and to our metaphysical preoccupations. Life did not come from life, but from the evolutionary development of inert matter. As an artist, I am keenly interested in these processes of transformation of matter, the way the simplest and most abundant molecules react to form complex molecules such as amino acids, and how this same matter could be used to create works of art embodying nothing but the experience of their coming into being.

The little town of Marfa, in the heart of the Texan desert, is known for the Judd Foundation and the Chinati Foundation, home to a remarkable collection of minimalist art. Its geographical location and proximity to the McDonald Observatory make it an ideal place for celestial observation and astrobiological research.

In addition to the possibility of other joint projects with the Biochemistry Department at the University of Texas at Austin, I plan to further my research by collecting samples (artificially-produced cometary organic residue, cometary dust particles collected on targets, thin sections of meteorites, etc.), and by manipulating crystallized essential amino acids (alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine) in a controlled lab environment.