MedTech + Art
Medicine has been around since the beginning of man kind and has always been at the for front in the art world. Artists have been enamored with the human body and this in return has lead to technologic, medical and artistic advances. 
The Egyptians were some of the first humans to study and practice autopsies on the human body--they did not perform autopsies to learn more about the body but they wanted to preserve their loved ones body parts for the after life. This was the first of many autopsies and studies of the body to come... |
| Courtesy of Atlanta Black Star |
Looking more at science and the medical field, as autopsies and dissections occurred and become popular in medicine many artists were called in to draw the doctors findings--showing the connection between science/medicine and art.
More modernly,not looking at the medical field, plastic surgery has earned recognition within the arts and has been lead by a women named, ORLAN. She is an artist that undergoes plastic surgery to portray an important artistic figure like Davinci's Mona Lisa, Europa and Venus. ORLAN chooses the most significant part of each women and this is what she emphasizes in each performance.She puts on performances while getting plastic surgery by reading theological literature along with having the medical team dress up while operating on her. She has influenced many people, for example, Lady Gaga has been directly influenced by ORLAN and this is seen in her 'Born This Way' video, when she copies ORLAN's symmetrical horns on her face.
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| Courtesy of Leonardo DaVinci / Wikipedia |
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| Courtesy of Michaela Efford |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw
In my eyes it is a bit over the top to surgically alter your body for the arts and I find it very dangerous but I think it shows her creativity and how plastic surgery should be viewed in a creative way of self expression.
On a final note,medicine, technology and art have all influenced on another and have lead to great advancements in all fields. They are all forms of self expression and innovation and it was really interesting to learn about their connections this week.
References:
"Vitruvian Man." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
"12 African Inventions That Changed the World - Atlanta Black Star." Atlanta Black Star. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
"Year 3: 2014 Autumn, Artist Influence, Talks and Workshops." Michaela Effords Art. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
"Mummies and Mummification - History in an Hour." History in an Hour. 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
LadyGagaVEVO. "Lady Gaga - Born This Way." YouTube. YouTube, 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Hi Ryann,
ReplyDeleteI think you made a great point in that art goes hand in hand with medicine, allowing scientists to understand more in-depth and accurately about the human body. By being able to translate the human body into a model, scientists are able to pinpoint their findings and analyze them to further extents. Also, I agree with you regarding the extreme case of the intersection of art and medicine in Orlan. However, as art is the work of the creator's vision, I assume there is nothing we can or should do as long as it does not harm others.