Will CRISPR gene editing change our idea of what defines a species? Is gene editing simply a continuation of our long history of modifying animals through selective breeding? Or is it something radically new?

Exploratorium Artist-in-Residence Heather Dewey-Hagborg (2016 Awardee) and the Exploratorium present the world premiere of Xeno in Vivo, a multimedia opera and live film performance investigating “xenotransplantation”—in which an organ is transplanted into a human from another animal, such as a pig. The thirty-minute work, featuring a live operatic chorus, will reflect upon the ten thousand-year relationship between pigs and humans, and brings the words of scientists and archaeologists to life in song. Each night’s performance will be followed by a discussion about the work and the questions raised by the evolving biomedical technology of xenotransplantation.