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'Cloning' pays off for Art and Design student
Graduating University of the Sunshine Coast art and design student Luke McClean’s decision to “clone” himself 12 times in an assignment last year has certainly had multiple benefits for him.
Luke, 22, who this week started work with Think Creative in Brisbane, recently sold his impressive print, “Clone Me Once, Shame On Me?”, to Caboolture Shire Council.
The council purchased the 200cm x 50cm canvas print – which features Luke as 12 different characters – following an exhibition at the Caboolture Shire Community Arts Centre.
USC’s Innovation Centre also bought one of Luke’s prints last year after it was displayed in an exhibition at the University’s Gallery.
Luke, of Chancellor Park, said he developed the print as an assignment on the theme “Technology and the Human Condition” and aimed to challenge the common perception that cloning was inherently wrong.
He said cloning was a controversial topic that rarely was discussed without negative bias and without reference to fictional concepts.
“My first reaction to cloning was like everyone else’s that cloning is bad,’’ he said. “But the more I looked into it, I saw that it wasn’t.
“Cloned humans would essentially be delayed identical twins and, just like identical twins, multiple clone babies would develop as individuals based on their upbringing and environment.
“They would also have the same rights as everyday human beings because, despite the method of their initial creation, that’s exactly what they would be.”
Luke said the 12 different images of himself in his print were used to illustrate that human clones would become distinct individuals.
“One of the guys is dressed in a karate outfit and there’s an introvert and a chef,’’ he said. “It depends on how they are raised and their experiences. The clones won’t all be the same.”
He said although the work loosely resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, his work was not intended as a religious statement.
“I tried different things to show that the clones would be different, and having all 12 sitting on one side of a table worked best.”
Luke, who majored in Art and Design and in Japanese, said he was delighted to have scored a job at Think Creative after doing an internship there during his final year at USC.
Luke’s other works are on display at his website <http://www.luke-design.com