DIY Devictimisation Kit, mark 1
(DIY DVK, m1)
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2006
Oron Catts & Ionat Zurr

The DIY De-victimizer Kit Mark One (DIY DVK m1) was designed to help allay the guilt people feel when they encounter dead animals. This feeling may well up when they eat animal flesh, after an accidental death, or through the use of living materials for research and technological development.

With the De-victimiser Kit you can take a small biopsy of a deceased animal and, using tissue culture, you can grow the animal cells in a DIY lab. You can continue this act of care until your guilt recedes. The De-victimiser Kit utilises off-the-shelf items to construct a basic tissue culture facility and a few specialised nutrients* which are needed to culture animals tissue.

The De-victimiser Kit debuted in Barcelona, Spain and consisted of a performative installation in which bull meat was brought back to life through tissue culture. The audience was invited to take an active role in the experiment by assisting in the care procurement and caring for the fragmented life. At each step of the process they navigated their own personal ethics to decide their level of engagement.

*These nutrients contain animal derived products; however, they are so far removed from the original source that most people have no sense of remorse when using them.