Pictures of You?

I was leafing through magazines the other night to find the right piece of unique art for my ever-evolving apartment redesign and I made an incredible discovery. I am admittedly obsessed with my nephews - I have photos everywhere of them - and in a short piece on modern art I found a way to incorporate my worship of them into a piece worthy of my big empty wall! DNA11 was the answer!! Searching through the DNA11 website, I found great color options and evidence of the absolutely one-of-a-kind art that they create. It was imperative that I share the info about this with our readers.

Adrian Salamunovic, one of the partners in DNA11, is a 10-year business technology veteran with extensive experience in marketing and design. He obtained his Business Marketing degree from Algonquin College and founded his first Web development company in early 1995. He has since helped to shape and define e-business strategies for many high profile clients. An inventor and innovator, Adrian’s passions include design, art, world travel, and fine cuisine. This innovative entrepreneur took a breather from his travels and promotional schedule to answer some questions about DNA11 for Beauty News NYC readers…

BN: Do you have a background in science?
AMS: I don’t have one, but my business partner does. Here is his profile: Nazim Ahmed has more than 10 years experience in various sectors of the biotechnology field, and has worked for a California-based biotech company in sales, specializing in several technologies involved in both genomic and proteomic research. He has always seen creativity, originality and beauty in numerous biological landscapes. Nazim holds a degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Western Ontario.

BN: How did you come up with the idea for this business?
AMS: It is an interesting story: we were looking at some photographs of DNA samples at my Nazim’s place , we started discussing how beautiful and organic the images looked. I asked Nazim if he could extract my DNA and possibly print the image. That’s exactly what we ended up doing. After we printed out the image we showed it to some friends and family we immediately started getting requests from them for orders. It really just started off as a personal passion project and has now become a global project we call DNA 11. We want to share this with the world.

BN: How do you actually make these works of art?
AMS: DNA11 creates unique DNA portraits through an extraordinary combination of science and art. The process begins with the DNA being collected using a patented, non-invasive technique: depositing your saliva into a tube. This sample is then sent to our highly secure, certified laboratory, where the DNA is extracted to create a unique genetic fingerprint, using a technique that takes advantage of the variation that occurs among the DNA sequence of every individual. The end result is a group of different sized pieces of DNA (unique per individual), which we “run” on a gel, such that each strand of different sized DNA is separate…The DNA is then stained with a fluorescent dye and illuminated by UV light, which then glows, giving off a fluorescent signal.

A special camera captures the image which is then digitally enhanced, cropped, color adjusted, adding colors and filter effects. Each piece is carefully processed to ensure the highest level of quality, and is then printed as a Giclee fine art piece. The art is made using high quality acid free polyester-cotton canvas, using pigmented inks designed to resist fading. It is then sealed with a non-yellowing protective varnish to further prolong the print life.

Each piece is then visually inspected and signed in the back by the artists at DNA 11, ensuring authenticity. The result is a high-end piece of art that can never be replicated, and is as unique as you are - no two pieces will ever be the same. When asked “who is the artist?” the answer is simple: you are. We take your life code and create a one-of-a-kind art piece, but the uniqueness is yours alone.

BN: Have there been any unusual/interesting requests?
AMS: We’ve had dozens of interesting requests! The first one came from ABSOLUT VODKA…we ended up extracting the DNA from fruits that are used to make their flavored vodkas and turning it into a huge 4×15″ lighbox. This art piece is now part of the “ABSOLUT ART” series…and honor we share with the late Andy Warhol.

Other requests: a lady wanted to have a portrait made from her deceased family member’s DNA. All she had was some hair clippings. We really wanted to help her out but the 10 year old samples were cut and we need the hair follicle to extract DNA. We were honored that she even asked us to do something that special for her.

We’ve had dozens of requests for Dogs…lots of people have asked to get their baby’s DNA and we’ve also received lots of requests for couple’s who want to capture both their DNA fingerprints and combine them into a single portrait. We will be announcing an exciting art piece especially designed for couples in September ..stay tuned!

BN: Is there anything you want to make sure people know about DNA11?
AMS: We would like people to know the following:
- A percentage of every sale goes to charity (AIDS research right now)
- We will be in NY displaying our art at Semi-Permanent (Presented by DIESEL) on September 9-10 at the Lincoln Center
- Karim Rashid (world famous designer and NY resident) was recently quoted as saying that our art is “BRILLIANT” when asked what he thought about art - a real compliment coming from one of the world’s best designers!