Week 4 | Art + MedTech

In 3rd grade, my class went on a field trip to the Body Worlds Exhibit (Vesna) at the California Science Center. Initially, I remember we had to sign parent permission forms at first. The “art” was going to be controversial, disturbing, and maybe even a little inappropriate according to the form. Nonetheless, I eagerly attended this exhibit and found it disgusting... at first.

Body Worlds Exhibit: Human body during Basketball (Phys.org)
I was excited to see the Body Worlds exhibit mentioned in lecture, because I didn’t realize how famous it was until now (Wong). I googled more about how the Body Worlds Exhibit has evolved since I attended years ago, and began to see the exhibit from a more artistic and anatomical standpoint, unlike my 3rd grade self. The body itself is a work of art, though not in the stereotypical aesthetically-pleasing manner. Rather, I believe that the human body is a work of art because of how complex it is, like robots (Week 3). Surgeries, for example, amaze me in how seemingly damaging and complicated they are… yet the patient emerges from anesthesia in an even better state in most procedures (Todorovic).

Robot used in surgery with immense precision (MLive.com)
In my courses at UCLA, both DESMA 9 and Biomedical Research 5HA, we learned about the images produced by MRI, CT, PET, and other medical imaging machines (Casini). Though at first, these scans do not seem artistic in black and white, adding color and contrast to differentiate between each neuron presents an amazing and colorful piece of art.

Color-coded neurons in the brain (wbur.org)
 Perhaps my respect for how amazingly complex the human body is affects my perspective on plastic surgery. I believe that some patients, like Orlan, take it too far with her 9 plastic surgeries (Orlan). While I understand that the standard for beauty is often extremely pressuring, I feel like the human body in its natural state is already a complex art in itself that doesn’t need damaging operations.  
Plastic Surgery for beauty (HerCampus)
Sources (Including Images):

"Brain Images: New Techniques And Bright Colors." Brain Images: New Techniques And Bright Colors | WBUR News. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Culturebase.net. "A Unique Online Source on Contemporary International Artists." Zoran Todorovic Artist Portrait. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

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

Mlive.com, "Surgery as Art? Robotic Surgery Machine Is Latest Exhibit at Flint Institute of Arts." MLive.com. N.p., 02 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Orlan – Carnal Art (2001) Documentary. Dir. Stéphan Oriach. Perf. Orlan. N.d. Film. YouTube. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.

"Reconsidering Body Worlds-why Do We Still Flock to Exhibits of Dead Human Beings?" Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Todorovic. Culturebase.net. "A Unique Online Source on Contemporary International Artists." Zoran Todorovic Artist Portrait. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017

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

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

Wong, Virgil. “Art Exhibited in Galleries and Museums around the World.” Art. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://virgilwong.com/art/>.

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 30, 2017 at 10:44 PM

    I can very much understand your experience of going through the Body Worlds exhibit as a child. The California Science Center was one of my favorite place to go when I was young, and I distinctly remember going through that exhibit. During that time, I too though that in some sense that it was kind of grotesque and not necessarily pleasing to the eye, but still I was fascinated by the amount of detail in each of them. Until now, I never really interpreted it as a work of art, but rather just another scientific exhibit. However, growing up has given me more insight to that matter, and began to understand that art has multiple forms, and is valid for having other qualities besides being aesthetically pleasing. The complexity of the human body is indeed astounding, and I do see how it can be expressed as a form of art, and much like you pointed out, is magnificent in its own without any alterations.

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  2. UnknownMay 3, 2017 at 6:32 PM

    Those who do opt to get plastic surgery do not see plastic surgery as damaging or conforming to beauty standards which is mostly why people go ahead and get these operations. But I think in the end, it's everyone' s own personal choice. As long as they are not getting surgeries that will affect their health, plastic surgeries would be analogous to getting tattoos which can also be seen as tainting the body's natural state.

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