hanna_wittmack_DESMA09_Blog4
Humans are extremely complex, both in their mental and physical senses. Physically we are made up of layers of tissue, bones, muscle, and fibers that all make daily activities possible. The internal systems control voluntary and involuntary procedures to let us continue going through our lives. Due to the complexities behind human anatomy, it takes multiple jurisdictions of education to properly analyze and understand it. Science and art walk hand and hand in the mission to dissect and understand bodies.
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| Image from Getty Center |
Currently, the Getty Center, a museum located in Los Angeles is hosting an exhibit titled “Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy” which illustrates those internal systems and how they connect to each other. Pictured above is a muscular figure taken from the exhibit, and the main quotes from the exhibit is “it takes artists and scientists to understand the human body” further exemplifying the crucial role of both parties.
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| MRI process |
As the medical field and their technologies advance, so does their ability to produce visual representations of the body. One of the biggest feats in anatomical illustration is the building of the MRI machine “that
allows scientists to directly monitor neurons through the body, providing high-quality images of organs, structures, and tissues”(Casini 73). Seen above is an image explaining how the MRI machine uses non invasive technology to produce an image(Computerhistory.org).
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| Compilation of one of Orlan's work |
Then we shift back to Art, with a very intriguing artist who has taken medical procedures as her form of representation. Orlan is an artist alias of an individual who uses plastic surgery as a form of performance art. She takes idealized parts of famous works of art and allows people to view her undergoing surgery to replicate the anatomy. She decided that her “medium' would be her own flesh. The idea of turning surgical interventions into performance art occurred to her when she was operated on for an extra- uterine pregnancy under a local anesthetic which permitted her to play the role of detached observer as well as patient”(Barbra Rose, Stanford). Pictured above is a compilation of her work, made into one still image to revitalize the work after the procedure had concluded.
Archives, Fairfax Media. “French Performance Artist Orlan Who Has Reconstructed Herself by...” Getty Images, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/french-performance-artist-orlan-who-has-reconstructed-news-photo/1079582180.
Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts.” Configurations, vol. 19, no. 1, 2011, pp. 73–99., https://doi.org/10.1353/con.2011.0008.
Kornell, Monique. “It Takes Artists and Scientists to Understand the Human Body.” Getty, https://www.getty.edu/news/it-takes-artists-and-scientists-to-understand-the-human-body/.
“MRI.” MRI | Make Software, Change the World! | Computer History Museum, https://www.computerhistory.org/makesoftware/exhibit/mri/.
“Orlan.” Stanford University, https://web.stanford.edu/class/history34q/readings/Orlan/Orlan2.html.
I loved your post, especially the line that reads "Science and art walk hand and hand in the mission to dissect and understand bodies." Prior to learning about this week's material, I believed that the study of the human body was primarily a scientific field, but now I can totally see how these fields intersect. I am curious to hear your thoughts on how the study of the human body would be today if it were purely an artistic field or purely a scientific field. Also, I really liked the image you included from the Getty Center. That piece is a great example of the concepts we are learning about in this class. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe first observation that sticks out to me is your strong verbage (e.g. 'jurisdiction'). In total seriousness, though, you raise an interesting point in how much education is needed to understand the body. My best friend at school will be entering medical school next year, so he has introduced me to the process, as least as it pertains to becoming an orthopedist. Similarly, my physical therapist told me how, back in his day, all he needed was an extra certification alongside his bachelor's degree, meanwhile today's physical therapists often get an advanced degree like a doctorate. Further, great find with the image and quote from the Getty Center exhibit! Also, I, too, explored MRI as art in my blog post, and you did a wonderful job drawing it back to art with a pertinent, although gruesome, case study.
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