TRANSpoetry is part of the research project AUTOIMMUNE TRANSFORMATIONEN by Barb Macek. This project is based on the combination of artistic and scientific methods and the synergies that emerge from the interaction of these different approaches. It aims at developing new ways of research and representation to enable new insights into the phenomenon of autoimmunity. It intends to extend and augment the present picture of SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) and autoimmune diseases that is dominated by the biomedical discourse. The overall objective of the project is to create a multifaceted, as comprehensive as possible picture of the individual, social, and cultural meaning of autoimmunity with scientific and poetic means.
TRANSpoems are based on a computer algorithm that randomly mixes – and thus confronts – words and phrases of medical texts about the autoimmune disease SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) with expressions and stanzas of the poetic works of Barbara Macek. The results of the combinations are edited according to poetic principles and used as epistemic tools to investigate the phenomenon of autoimmunity.