Week 4:Medicine+Technology+Art

This week, I learned that medicine is a huge part in the art world when it comes to the technology within medicine that is mostly known to be in hospitals. Professor Vesna explains in the lecture videos how there are medical technologies used for human dissection(goes back to the ancient Greeks, and ancient Egyptians) and in order to know where to cut they use modern day technologies such as X-Rays, MRIs, Cat Scans, etc. to figure out what is wrong with the patient in order to know what to do. Also explained in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as MIrror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts, Casini explains that MRI is more than just a picture and should be seen as some kind of art(almost as a portrait of the individual) because it serves as an interpretation to the viewer, patient, etc. Gromala, in her video, explains how there are different types of images of the body and how that it is more than just pictures because they evoke emotions and feelings such as medical technologies do with X-Rays, etc. when the patient sees it or doctor or any other images fall under human body. Technologies that come up and help are such as the ones I mentioned, virtual reality goggles that could help relieve pain, microscopes to help see inside the human body, and very much more technologies to view this art of the human body. In Ingber's, Architecture of Life, he explains how complex the design of organ structure and body parts including cells and tissues which could all be seen through these microscopes that give the ability to see inside the body without having to cut open anything.

Another thing I would want to discuss learning about is the topic of plastic surgery that comes up in the lecture videos and how many plastic surgeries Orlan had to go through. Orlan wanted to show herself as beautiful with these surgeries, but I feel like it is disrupting the whole art take on it by messing with natural causes to display something you're not. That is how I feel because people who usually intake a lot of plastic surgery usually end up looking fake and just horrible in my opinion and it does not look like any type of art to me. I understand it is what they want to do and I respect that. but to use these medical technologies to change their whole face structure is just wrong for me and not artistic, it is just them trying to stand out in society. Other than that, I highly respect and appreciate the work the doctor/craftsman puts into creating something different to someones face. 

Sources:

Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations Between Science and Arts.” (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.

Gromala, Diane, perf. Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty. 2011. Video. 26 Oct 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cRdarMz–Pw>.

Ingber, Donald E. "Architecture of Life." (1998): n. pag. Print.

Orlan – Carnal Art (2001) Documentary. Dir. Stéphan Oriach. Perf. Orlan. N.d. Film. YouTube. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=no_66MGu0Oo

 Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/Ep0M2bOM9Tk.” Lecture. Medicine pt1 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/FIX-9mXd3Y4.” Lecture. Medicine pt3. Youtube, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/psjnQarHOqQ.” Lecture. Medicine pt2 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.