Synthetic Sentience: From Cup to Dish

Synthetic Sentience: From Cup to Dish Jiabao Li∗ Whitefeather C. Hunter The University of Texas at Austin [email protected] The University of Western Australia [email protected] ABSTRACT We investigate the potential of lab-grown clitorises created by 3D bioprinting stem cells derived from menstrual fluid. Our approach challenges male-dominated narratives in tech spaces, advocating for a feminist, nonbinary methodology focused on pleasure and eroticism beyond reproductive function. The project is conveyed through video performances, scientific experiments, and digital art, fostering a multifaceted discourse on posthuman pleasure, ethics of sexuality, and the deconstruction of gender norms. We scrutinize the ethical complexities of bioprinted organs capable of neural responses, questioning notions of consent and sentience in bioengineering. The use of social platforms like OnlyFans for disseminating our work strategically disrupts traditional digital consumption patterns. Through this, we address biocapitalism and control of narratives around sex and pleasure, questioning normative uses of technology in spaces that objectify bodies. Our paper calls for a reevaluation of biotechnological advance in its cultural, ethical, and societal impacts, challenging existing paradigms and fostering inclusive scientific exploration. CCS CONCEPTS • Collaborative interaction; • Arts; • Interaction paradigms; KEYWORDS Clitoris, synthetic biology, 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering, sentience, lab-grown, biopolitics, pleasure, stem cells, menstruation ACM Reference Format: Jiabao Li and Whitefeather C. Hunter . 2024. Synthetic Sentience:: From Cup to Dish. In Halfway to the Future (HTTF ’24), October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 9 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/ 3686169.3686201 1 INTRODUCTION When is the last time you had an orgasm? Was it technologically mediated, involving a prosthetic or device? What if you were able to grow your own fleshy ‘toy’ and your personal connection to it was not just creative but also biological? How would that feel, what would it mean, and what would it look like? The collaborative ∗ Both authors contributed equally to this work. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs International 4.0 License. HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA © 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). ACM ISBN 979-8-4007-1042-1/24/10 https://doi.org/10.1145/3686169.3686201 Figure 1: Endometrial tissue explant culture from menstrual fluid, showing cell outgrowth ©WhiteFeather Hunter, 2023. project we present in this paper, Synthetic Sentience: The Pussification of Biotech is an exploration of how biotechnology could be used to facilitate sexual autonomy and pleasure through 3D bioprinting clitorises; these synthetic organs are cultured in vitro, embedded with neuronal and heart muscle cells that are differentiated from our own menstrual stem cells (Figure 1). We are compelled to create these clitorises using our menstrual fluid as a resource, to engage with technological tools on our own terms, with biomaterials under our own control. The tech spaces we have worked within have typically been saturated with (solutionist) tech-tosterone objectives and approaches that did not always align with our open, exploratory feminist playfulness. Additionally, as feminist technology studies researchers have noted, “vastly more women are “on the receiving end” of technologies than create them,” particularly technologies concerned with our reproductive organs. [1] We are interested in how our creativity can be used to style a femme or nonbinary philosophy and methodology that gives us more agency with our experiments and considers our various embodied experiences – not just those concerned with biological reproductive functioning but also with pleasure and erotic play. HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Jiabao Li and WhiteFeather Hunter Figure 2: 3D printed resin clitoris prototype in a petri dish ©Jiabao Li, 2023. 2 Figure 3: 3D bioprinting process of a clitoris form in a support gel ©WhiteFeather Hunter, 2023. We examine possibilities for the above through collaborative creation of technologically mediated artworks, around the idea and production of in vitro clitorises. These works are presented in multiple formats: video/ online performance and live engagement, prototyping, digital rendering, and bioengineering (Figures 2, 3). Our modes of presentation are used to facilitate a generative stream of related works throughout the project development. Some of the conceptual topics we explore include posthuman possibilities for pleasure in synthetically sentient organs and notions of the disembodied self, as well as social considerations such as the biopolitics of pleasure and ethics of sexuality. We also address the ways in which our modes of presentation may challenge normative uses of tech and tech-mediated spaces where they objectify bodies—especially women’s bodies—within power relations of the digital gaze [2]; in this regard, we discuss biocapitalism and online consumption, as well as who controls the narrative around visual representations and understandings of sex and pleasure. MORE-THAN-HUMAN PLEASURE Usual ideas about erotic pleasure are human-centric; more-thanhuman animal sex is conceptualized as perfunctory and base, biologically imperative for reproduction without cognitive sophistication, and often including coercion. [3] Human pleasure is defined as, “the physical and/or psychological satisfaction and enjoyment derived from solitary or shared erotic experiences, including thoughts, dreams and autoeroticism.” [4] Furthermore, the Global Advisory Board for Sexual Health and Wellbeing adds that, “Selfdetermination, consent, safety, privacy, confidence and the ability to communicate and negotiate sexual relations are key enabling factors for pleasure…” [5] If more-than-human sex is relegated to reproductive function and does not include our precepts of consent, can more-than-human animals (or other entities) experience sexual pleasure? If so, what does it mean? And if not, what would be the purpose of having a clitoris? The array of clitoral structures in animals is as diverse as the animals themselves, with each species adapting unique features for sexual function and pleasure (Figure 4). Bonobos, our closest primate relatives, are known for frequent masturbation, French kissing, genital-to-genital rubbing, and oral sex. [6] These behaviours are not only a source of pleasure but also play a role in stress reduction and social bonding within their communities. Dolphins, displaying a remarkable level of inventiveness, have been observed using the sandy sea floor to masturbate, occasionally utilizing dead fish as tools for sexual stimulation. [7] Such behaviours underscore the complexity and creativity inherent in animal sexual activities. Only as recently as 2022, women scientists discovered that female snakes not only have a clitoris but two, called hemiclitores. [8] Snakes engage in unique courtship behaviours that involve tactile stimulation of the clitorises, an act which appears to enhance reproductive success. [9] However, in these reptiles, clitoral stimulation is not merely incidental but a deliberate part of their mating rituals. The hemiclitores, replete with nerves and erectile tissue, are indicative of a function that extends beyond mere reproduction; mating acts of snakes could be as much about seduction, mutual pleasure, and choice as it is about procreation. In this case, usual evolutionary biology narratives about animal sexual coercion and subjugation of females may be false. [10] Synthetic Sentience: HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Figure 4: Image compilation of various animal clitorises ©Jiabao Li, 2023. The hemiclitores in snakes were previously mistaken as scent glands. [11] This mischaracterization is reflective of a historical trend in science, where male-dominated perspectives have overlooked or misinterpreted female anatomy. [12] The human clitoris, a critical organ for sexual pleasure, has also been subject to such neglect. Up until the latter half of the 20th century, it was deemed socially unacceptable to discuss the clitoris openly. Only with a shift towards more inclusive and comprehensive scientific inquiry have we begun to uncover the full scope of clitoral function and its implications for our understanding of sexual behaviour across species. 3 ETHICS OF SEXUALITY The creation of a 3D bioprinted clitoris that is possibly capable of neural processing introduces profound ethical questions around the concept of consent. As mentioned, consent is understood as a voluntary agreement to engage in a specific sexual activity. However, the parameters of consent become deeply complexified when we consider a bioengineered organ that can ‘perceive’ and perhaps even ‘feel’ in response to stimuli, in a manner akin to sentient (cognate) beings. If a bioprinted organ possesses neural capabilities that mimic awareness or decision-making processes, how does this affect its autonomy? Can such a construct have preferences, make choices, or possess a form of will? And if so, how do we respect and ensure consent in interactions with it? Traditional frameworks of consent apply to human interactions where both parties are capable of understanding and communicating their willingness to participate. How do we adapt our understanding of consent when one party is only partially human or a human-derived, bioengineered tissue form? In medical ethics, when an individual is unable to give consent, a surrogate decision-maker is appointed. [13] Could there be a situation where proxy consent is considered for a bioengineered organ, and if so, who would be qualified to provide it? The tissue donor? Philosophers have long debated the nature of consciousness and experience. [14] If a bioengineered construct can feel and process information, does it have a form of consciousness? Is it sentient? Figure 5: Digital rendering of a speculative synthetic sentient form ©Jiabao Li, 2023. What ethical theories could guide our interactions with such speculative entities, and how would they inform our understanding of extracorporeal consent? Figure 5 was created using Midjourney with the prompt: ”Ovulation, one pink orchard flower look like a sentient being, juicy, with neurons stretch out.” Notably, Midjourney censored terms such as clitoris and menstrual blood, so we had to use alternative words like ”orchid” and ”ovulation” to achieve a similar visual effect. 4 IS IT A SENTIENT BEING? Scientists have defined cellular synthetic sentience as, “being able to perceive and respond dynamically to sensory information.” [15] This definition provokes a nuanced examination of the distinctions between sentience and consciousness. Sentience, as described, refers to an entity’s ability to have subjective experiences HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA and sensations, whereas consciousness implies a higher level of self-awareness, introspection, and the ability to contemplate one’s existence. [16] In drawing parallels, cellular sentience could be likened to a state of unconsciousness or ’dreaming’, wherein there is perception and response to stimuli without full awareness (that we know of). By conceptualizing cellular sentience as a form of ‘dreaming,’ or unconscious perception, we can explore the boundaries of sentience and how we interpret and understand the experiences of cellular life. 5 WET (LAB) DREAMS A “wet lab” is a hands-on laboratory experiment space designed for the use of wet materials such as biological samples, chemical fluids, gels, and enzymes. Its design and operation include measures to avoid wet hazards such as spills, leaks, and slips. Biotech and life science protocols require specialized wet labs wherein juicy and slippery, fleshy and leaky things can be ‘safely’ tested and manipulated. Procedures determine not only what is handled, but also requirements for how it is to be handled and considered: contained and under control. When working with materials such as cells that have been differentiated along the neuronal pathway (Figure 6), and which have potential for ‘synthetic sentience,’ the concepts of containment and control are complexified. What if a neuron in a petri dish exhibits some kind of neuro-autonomy in response to its conditions? In vitro neurons have learned to play video games; can a 3D bioprinted clitoris seeded with neuronal precursor cells possibly dream? [17] In its ‘wet’ environment, is it wet dreaming? Wet dreams occur in a state of unconsciousness yet involve physiological responses and sensations. Thus, in our project, we imagine the capacity of our differentiated menstrual stem cells for sensory perception linked to pleasure. Female wet dreams have not as robustly penetrated the cultural dialogue around “nocturnal emissions” as those associated with penises; typically, a wet dream is explicitly synonymous with the involuntary ooze of teen boys, likely due to more observable evidence. [18] Within the wet observatory of the tissue culture lab, could we witness evidence of an in vitro dreaming clitoral spasm? Our 3D bioprinted clitorises, in their final iteration, will be a co-culture of both neuronal cell types and cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) that have been differentiated from our menstrual stem cells. “Cardiac cells have a unique feature - they are able to contract without input from the nervous system.” [19] Since each individual in vitro heart cell will contract with a ‘heartbeat,’ our clitorises will not only potentially rhythmically pulse but also conceivably respond to the pulsing with electrochemical signaling by the neurons. Is this a form of synthetic pleasure for the externalized self? 6 Jiabao Li and WhiteFeather Hunter to function autonomously outside their source organism raises philosophical questions regarding the distinction between the body and the self, challenging the notion of a unified, indivisible entity. In producing lab-grown clitorises, we open the possibility for disembodied pleasure, a sensual experience not confined to the limits of the human body. The fundamental requirements for achieving an orgasm have long been debated and are now understood to be a complex dance between psychological stimulus and physiological response [21]. The emergence of technologically mediated stimulation expands this notion by enabling physical pleasure to be elicited through devices and methods that do not rely on direct human contact. As we delve into the capabilities of a lab-grown clitoris, we must question whether it too can “sense” arousal and derive pleasure. If pleasure is the product of neural responses to stimuli, and if a co-culture of neurons and cardiomyocytes can mimic some of the bioelectrical and biochemical events that occur during sexual stimulation, could we engineer a synthetic organ capable of producing a similar occurrence of arousal and climax? Figure 7 was created using Midjourney with the prompt: ”Ovulation, close-up of an abstract pink orchid resembling a sentient being, juicy, with stem cells and neurons stretching out, in a Petri dish.” By using our own cells to grow such an organ, we blur the lines between the self and the other, raising the possibility of experiencing pleasure from an external source that is nonetheless intimately connected to us. This brings us to the concept of the externalized self: Is an organ grown from one’s own cells an extension of oneself? And if so, could engaging with this externalized tissue for sexual gratification be equated to a form of masturbation? The outside-of-body ’orgasm orchestra’ not only challenges the normative one-body, one-orgasm paradigm but also invites us to consider the multiplicity of pleasure and the different ways it can manifest. Ownership of this bioengineered organ becomes an intriguing philosophical question. If one derives pleasure from a clitoris grown from their own cells, the experience could be viewed as a personal and self-contained act. However, if the tissue is grown from another’s cells, such as a friend’s menstrual stem cells, the dynamic shifts. The act may not constitute infidelity in a traditional sense, yet it introduces a new dimension to the discourse on sexual ethics and fidelity. It raises questions about the nature of sexual interaction and where the lines are drawn between self-pleasure, sexual activity with another person, and the use of bioengineered tissues for erotic gratification. These questions compel us to confront not just the science of pleasure, but also the deeply personal and societal constructs that frame our understanding of sexual ethics. As we engage with these bioengineered organs, we are urged to examine the essence of our sexual selves, the fluidity of physical pleasure, and the profound implications of these technologies on the future of human intimacy. EXTERNALISED ORGASM An organism is typically defined as a living entity that maintains homeostasis, undergoes metabolism, has the capacity to grow, adapt to its environment, respond to stimuli, and reproduce. [20] When cells are cultivated in a lab, away from their native environment, they continue to exhibit these characteristics autonomously, leading to questions about their identity and sentience. The ability of cells 7 IS IT THE SAME AS LAB-GROWN MEAT? THE BIOPOLITICS OF PLEASURE AND CONSUMPTION Both a lab-grown piece of meat and a lab-grown clitoris could technically be ‘eaten’ in certain ways, so what’s the difference? Synthetic Sentience: HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Figure 6: Cultured menstrual cells in the process of differentiation on the neuronal pathway ©WhiteFeather Hunter, 2023. Figure 7: Digital rendering of a speculative synthetic sentient form ©Jiabao Li, 2023. Lab-grown meat, or so-called “clean meat” is a would-be technoscientific industrial product of cellular agriculture wherein animal cells are grown in vitro into an edible form for human consumption [22]. Marketed (to solicit investor and public buy-in) as ‘ethical,’ ‘revolutionary,’ ‘ecological,’ and even ‘vegan,’ the concept of labgrown meat is entrenched in moral purity. “The clitoris is the only known human organ that has the singular purpose of providing pleasure.” [23] Patriarchal attitudes towards women’s sexuality often associate pleasure with immoral behaviour, one of the premises behind cultural practices of female genital mutilation. Since the time of the European witch hunts, the clitoris has been perceived as an embodiment of evil. Possession of a so-called “witch’s teat” (clitoris) was recorded as evidence of demonological witchcraft, since Lucifer supposedly suckled from it. [24] More contemporarily, clitoridectomies (surgical removal of the clitoris) have been performed to ‘cure’ masturbation in women; some believe the procedure promotes “cleanliness.” [25] [26] While our laboratory protocol for culturing 3D bioprinted clitorises is like some of the tissue engineering methods used to cultivate lab-grown meat, it has not been industrially scaled for mass HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Jiabao Li and WhiteFeather Hunter Figure 8: 3D bioprinted clitorises seeded with cardiomyocytes ©WhiteFeather Hunter, 2023. Figure 9: Video still, 3D bioprinted clitoris form in support gel ©WhiteFeather Hunter, 2023. consumption but rather maintained as a small, personalized, synthetic hybrid tissue form designed to investigate notions of (female) erotic pleasure (Figure 8). Our in vitro clitorises were designed by adapting an open source stereolithograph (.stl) file of an anatomically accurate 3D print model, to experiment with bioinks and gel supports. [27] The clitorises were printed using an embedding technique: fluid gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) was mixed with a live cell suspension in a liquid nutrient medium and extruded into a gel base that supported its structure during a photocuring process (Figure 9). These bioengineered clitorises could inspire the design of prosthetic organs for transplant into bodies that have been subject to removal procedures such as female genital mutilation/ cutting. But what if they were implanted elsewhere? What if everyone had access to the experience of a clitoral orgasm? Alternatively, could the clitoris itself experience orgasm within the fluid environment of its petri dish? What might an in vitro orgasm look like? (Figure 10) 8 ONLYFANS To represent an in vitro orgasm, we produced an evocative collaborative performance video that features a 3D printed prototype of the clitoris; our chosen platform for its premiere was OnlyFans. The intent behind selecting a platform predominantly characterized by its adult content and intimate creator-audience interaction is to foster direct dialogue around the nuances of this erotic/ scientific material. Moving forward, OnlyFans will serve as the digital stage where we chronicle the developmental journey of the lab-grown cardio-neuronal clitorises. It will not only be a space for sharing the biological progress of this synthetic organ but will also be the canvas for the unfolding narrative that surrounds it. Through visual storytelling and regular updates, we aim to engage our audience in Synthetic Sentience: HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Figure 10: Sentient Clit video still showing in vitro masturbation ©Jiabao Li and WhiteFeather Hunter, 2023. Video directed and edited by Jiabao Li. a continuous conversation about the convergence of art, science, and sexuality. This platform choice represents a deliberate strategy to provoke thought and challenge preconceived notions about the intersection of scientific advancement and sensual expression. It is an invitation to our audience to witness the interplay between creation and sensation, to engage with the ethics of such innovation in an open exchange, and to consider the future implications of biotechnology in our understanding of pleasure and the human experience. 9 DIGITAL CONSUMPTION The digital consumption of our Sentient Clit video on OnlyFans navigates a complex cultural landscape, where viewers engage with content that straddles the lines between art, technoscience, and eroticism. As feminist performance art scholar, Amelia Jones has pointed out, feminist body artists disrupt and reframe traditional Western codes of female objectification. [28] They confront and subvert these codes, not only by representing the female form in unexpected ways but by reclaiming agency over how this representation occurs. Our project embodies these objectives. In the digital space, especially on platforms like OnlyFans, content is consumed rapidly and often uncritically. However, our intention is to interrupt the passive consumption of erotic imagery, which has been linked to dehumanization and violence [29]. By bringing a biotechnologically crafted clitoris into the arena of OnlyFans, we interject content that is not only sensual but deeply enmeshed with layers of scientific and feminist discourse, flipping the script on narratives of female sexuality as possessing less mind; our role-playing is meant to trigger such tropes, to confound the viewer into self-examination [30]. In this, we compel the audience Figure 11: 3D printed resin clitoris prototype in a petri dish ©Jiabao Li, 2023. to engage with the material not only on a visual or erotic level but also intellectually and ethically. This act of digital display is not a passive surrender to the voyeuristic tendencies of the internet but meant as a bold statement of control; our overt mechanization of a sexual body part is to perform self-reflexivity as a demonstration. It embodies our reclamation of the narrative surrounding female sexuality and a redefinition of what can be considered erotic content. By holding the reins on how the lab-grown clitoris is depicted and shared (Figure 11), we are not only critical contributors to the digital ecosystem but also commentators and regulators of how sexuality, especially female sexuality, is consumed in the digital age. Through our project on OnlyFans, we invite viewers to partake in a dialogue about the role of technology in sex, the power dynamics inherent in viewing versus creating, and the broader ethics of biotechnological art. By controlling the narrative, we reiterate the HTTF ’24, October 21–23, 2024, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Figure 12: 3D bioprinted clitoris seeded with cardiomyocytes ©WhiteFeather Hunter, 2023. clitoris — and by extension, female sexuality — as a site of power, agency, and artistic expression, redefining digital consumption in a way that emphasizes the creator’s intent and the audience’s active engagement with the content. 10 BIOCAPITALISM Some adult film actors sell “fleshlights” (a kind of sex toy) that are molded from their vaginas to give their fans a more personalized experience. With a lab-grown clitoris, sex workers could potentially grow multiple clitorises from their menstrual stem cells and commoditize them. What would we be selling if we consider them ‘beings’ with limited autonomy? Who has the right to capitalize on them as a surrogate orgasm product? What would be the conditions for care? The potential for patenting and profiting from biologically derived materials implicates concerns of technofetishistic biocapitalism. Should biotechnological advancements derived from one’s own body be considered personal property, and how do we address the commercialization of such intimate aspects of our biology? (Figure 12) 11 MENSTRUAL STEM CELL CULTURE AND DIFFERENTIATION PROTOCOL: NEURAL INDUCTION Like1 the title of this paper suggests, menstrual stem cells collected directly from a menstrual cup, still warm from our incubating bodies and immediately put into a petri dish with a neural induction medium, yield the best results from experiments conducted so far. Drawing from one of few existing protocols for menstrual (endometrial) stem cell differentiation, and in consultation with neurobiologists at the Institute of Molecular Medicine (uLisboa), the following protocol was developed to initiate neural induction of our menstrual blood-derived cells. • 1.Pour the contents of a full menstrual cup into a sterile 50mL centrifuge tube and cap tightly. Centrifuge the tube contents at 3500rpms for 15 minutes until the blood components have separated. The middle layer is the tissue/mucus layer from where the stem cells can be extracted. Set the tube aside (leave at room temperature) in a biosafety cabinet. 1 Protocol developed by WhiteFeather Hunter. Jiabao Li and WhiteFeather Hunter Figure 13: Video still, time lapse of live cell microscopic imaging of menstrual stem cell neural induction ©WhiteFeather Hunter. • 2.In another 50mL sterile centrifuge tube, prepare the base induction medium: 24mL DMEM/F-12 GlutaMAX™ supplement, 24mL Neurobasal Medium, 500uL N-2 Supplement 100X, 1mL B-27 Supplement 50X serum free. • 3.Add 5mL of the above solution to a T-25 flask. • 4.Using a serological pipette, aspirate the serum top layer from the separated blood sample and discard (or store at -20℃ in a new 50mL tube). • 5.Using a 5mL serological pipette or 1000uL pipet tip, carefully aspirate a small sample of the middle tissue layer, avoiding the bottom red blood cell layer, and deposit it into the T-25 flask with the added solution. Aspirate the solution in the flask until the tissue sample is dispersed throughout the liquid. • 6.Incubate the flask at 37℃ for 2.5-5 hours. • 7.In a sterile 15mL centrifuge tube, prepare the base neural induction medium with additional growth factors: 14mL base neural induction medium, 3.7uL Human EGF Recombinant Protein (an epidermal growth factor; murine EGF can be used instead), 3.7uL Human bFGF Recombinant Protein (a basic fibroblast growth factor; or murine FGF can be used). • 8.Remove the T-25 flask from the incubator after a minimum of 2.5 hours, aspirate and discard the medium and gently rinse the cells with PBS. This will remove most of the unwanted red blood cells, while the adherent cells remain. • 9.Add 10mL of the base induction medium prepared with the growth factors. Incubate the flask at 37℃ for 48 hours. After 48 hours, dendritic-like protrusions can be observed on the cells (Figure 13), indicating neural induction. We will conduct further experimentation to complete our protocol to advance full neural differentiation, as well as do antibody staining to accurately verify our results. 12 FUTURE WORKS As we mentioned earlier in this paper, scientists have proven that brain cells in a petri dish can play the video game, Pong. If this is the case, what could a cardio-neuronal clitoris in a dish do? We will experiment with the possibilities of the clitorises’ play on a Synthetic Sentience: dating app like Tinder, first testing their ability to make simple Yes and No choices. This will raise important questions around the nature of perception in experiences of pleasure derived from digital input: is it always voyeuristic? Can our clit ‘visualize’ along with programmed external stimulus, and how might it participate in the digital gaze? Given that it will still have a heart-like resonance through the inclusion of cardiomyocytes, might it make choices based on ‘feeling’ too? To investigate these questions, we plan to expand the notion of ‘thinking’ with our female-originating equivalent of a dickhead. Instead of concern with being passively visually pleasing, how might our model disrupt power dynamics of online objectification with its subversive use of the digital gaze as mere data input for self-pleasure? ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WhiteFeather Hunter gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Canada Council for the Arts Explore and Create: Research and Creation grant program, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quėbec Exploration and Research grant program. She also would like to acknowledge the doctoral students who performed some of the 3D bioprinting for the project; unfortunately, these students and their supervisory collaborators are prohibited from being named due to legal stipulations imposed by the research facility in which they work. Jiabao Li gratefully acknowledges funding support from The University of Texas at Austin. 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