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Science Communication
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Notes on Metaphors, Notes as Metaphors

The Genome as Musical Spectacle

José Julián Lopez

University of Ottawa, jlopez{at}uottawa.ca

This article is a contribution to the growing body of work that has emphasized the need to develop a theoretical framework capable of exploring metaphorical communication as a social rather than just as a cognitive process. The author draws attention to some of the social dynamics through which the inherent poly-valence of metaphors becomes stabilized, though never entirely neutralized. Specifically, he highlights the ways in which context, practices, and space serve to close down potential meanings. This is followed by an analysis of the deployment of a musical metaphor—nucleotide-bases-as-musical-notes that produce the "music of life"—in the context of a traveling science exhibition, The Geee! in Genome, whose stated goal is to educate and stimulate debate among the Canadian public. The author shows that although the musical metaphor lacks heuristic utility as a tool for explaining the "science" in the exhibition, it contributes to the staging of genomics and "life" itself as a spectacle; this makes it possible to frame contentious issues around genetic determinism, biotechnology-enabled health care, enhancement, commodification, and property rights in a more hospitable semantic terrain.

Key Words: metaphor • genomics • spectacle • discourse • music of life • biotechnology • public education

Science Communication, Vol. 29, No. 1, 7-34 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1075547007305165
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