Sunday, April 26, 2015

Unit 4 - Medicine + Technology + Art

This week's focus is about art with relation to technology and medicine. I never thought there could be a relation between art and medicine, but that does not seem to be the case. There is a great importance in representation and perception of the human body and as technology advances, these representations that are produced become more accurate and useful in the medical field. The accurateness also connects these processes to art. In Silvia Casini’s article, "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts," she mentions these connections. As the title reads, Casini explains how the MRI act as a portrait through the MRI scanning process and the feelings evoked from the process and it's resulted. I imagine that viewing one of these scans would be similar to seeing oneself in an artistic portrait, looking at something that seems similar to you but is not at the same time, a “shock of recognition,” a term that Casini mentions (“MRI as Mirror and Portrait”).


Shockingly realistic

There is another article, “Seeing Themselves: Photographers’ Self-Portraits ,“ that was written by Jessie Wender in which she stresses the importance of artists creating a self-portrait through a series of selected self-portraits and statements from the artist. I agree with many of the artists’ statements, especially the idea of self-portraits being used as a tool of self-reflection.

One self-portrait from the second article mentioned above
















I also feel this week focuses on people using their own bodies as artwork. The lectures mention both plastic surgery and voluntary implementation as examples. In these processes, people let themselves be the canvas for others or themselves. In both these examples, people were able to view and/or discuss these procedures and it stirred up a variety of emotions. This helped me understand more about other ways people transform themselves into a canvas. There is a show in Syfy, called Face Off, a reality television show in which make-up artist compete against each other.This process not only conveys the technical skill, creativity and dedication of the contestants, in the same way, a painting shows the skills of its painter. 

"Creature Carnage"














Another example similar to this is cosplaying, the act of people dressing up and/or imitating their favorite characters from various movies, books and television. It’s through this that people show passion for their favorite characters and engage with others who share the same interest.


Anime Expo in front of the LA Convention Center













Both of these acts are examples of using one’s body as art and similar to the surgeries, and the MRI scan, the all have the potential to create conversation with and create emotion in the people involved, which I feel is a major component of artwork.



Citation

Casini, Silvia. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts." (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.


Life Looks Really Different through an MRI Machine. YouTube / Vox, 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.


Wender, Jessie. "Seeing Themselves: Photographers’ Self-Portraits." (n.d.): n. pag. 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.


"Creature Carnage." Syfy. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.syfy.com/faceoff/photos/creature-carnage>.


Cosplay Gatherings. Anime Expo®. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.anime-expo.org/>.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Eric,

    First off, I am a huge fan of Face/Off and really appreciated reading about it in your blog. When I was reading articles and watching the lectures I felt that there was more focus on body transformation through medical advancements or surgeries. However, advancements in technical fields have allowed the creation of better wearable appliances and prosthetic design. Do you believe the models in the show experienced the same "shock of recognition?" Working with the human body have been long revered by both doctors and artists. How do you think the artistic society has influenced the development of medical practices? Or vice versa, how do you think the development of medical practices have changed the way we see the human body?

    Thank you,
    Jeff

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