Blood Fusion Research Archive: Laboratory Documentation and Experimental Records (2016)

The Blood Fusion Research Archive: Laboratory Documentation and Experimental Records (2016) comprises the archival publication Blood Fusion: Experimental Research Record and Artistic Research Documentation – Archival Edition together with the primary research documentation generated during an interdisciplinary artistic research project undertaken in 2016 at the Orchid Research and Development Center, Department of Life Sciences, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. Developed within a working orchid biotechnology laboratory, the project investigated the relationship between biological laboratory procedures, scientific observation, experimental documentation and contemporary artistic practice. Rather than seeking to validate a scientific hypothesis, Blood Fusion employed the laboratory as a site of interdisciplinary enquiry, examining how biological experimentation, visual documentation and artistic research could inform one another in the development of new creative knowledge. This dataset preserves the original research documentation generated throughout the project, including project planning documents, research notebooks, laboratory procedures, DNA extraction records, molecular biology learning notes, sample preparation records, PCR documentation, CT scanning documentation, laboratory and StudioLab images, research sketches, three-dimensional orchid reconstruction imagery and supporting visual documentation. Together, these materials record the progression of the project from initial concept through laboratory investigation and visual enquiry, preserving the historical research record upon which subsequent creative works were developed. Published retrospectively as an archival edition, the dataset has been assembled to preserve the integrity of the original research documentation while making the materials openly accessible for scholarly communication, historical reference and interdisciplinary study. The accompanying publication, Blood Fusion: Experimental Research Record and Artistic Research Documentation – Archival Edition, provides the scholarly context for the archive, while the accompanying research files preserve the primary documentary evidence upon which that publication is based. The associated creative research outputs arising from the Blood Fusion project are published separately through Figshare and are linked through the Related Works metadata associated with this archive. Each publication is assigned its own Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and should be cited independently. Together, the Zenodo research archive and the related Figshare publications preserve both the primary research record and the continuing creative development of the project while maintaining a clear distinction between the historical documentary evidence and subsequent artistic interpretation. Additional publications arising from the broader Portrait Institute research programme are available through the author's Figshare profile. The Blood Fusion Research Archive forms part of the broader Portrait Institute research programme investigating portraiture, identity, biological systems and interdisciplinary artistic research. As a permanent scholarly archive, this dataset provides a stable documentary record supporting future research into artistic research methodologies, laboratory-based creative practice and interdisciplinary approaches to portraiture.