This week’s
topic of Medicine/ Technology and Art was really interesting because things
that I see everyday I never connected it to the relationship of medicine and
art and how important they really are to each other. In Prof Vesna’s first
lecture she mentions that understanding human anatomy is critical for both art
and doctors: for artists to be able to dissect the body and accurately
represent it in their paintings and for doctors to physically dissect and
understand the body. The art that is put into doctors books have to be correct
for the sake of accurately learning the inside of the body which make the
relationship of medicine and art so crucial.
When trying to
find a relationship between medicine and technology and art, plastic surgery is
what makes the most sense to me in connecting these two worlds. Opinions set
aside, the world of plastic surgery is art, people use plastic surgery for
means of sculpting and responding to society. It is the reconstruction of
someone’s face, which happens all the time in art, but in this case it’s
real. It was shocking to me that the art
of plastic surgery has been around for 4000 years and that it came from war.
Many connections between the art and medical world came from war, and injuries
endured on the battlefield. 
Plastic surgery
can be used for fixing deformities or can be means of expressing oneself, which
artist Orlan did. At first I was taken back that she would use her own body as
means of entertainment for other people, so I researched her a little more to
better understand why she does what she does. She is actually a scholar using
her body to question societal body changes, “Orlan is the only artist working so radically with her own body, asking
questions about the status of the body in society.” From this I gained a lot of
respect for her and how much dedication she has to get her point across.
"Contoversial Artist Orlan The Reincarnation of Saint-Orlan - Creative Mapping." Creative Mapping Controversial French Artist Orlan Is Perhaps Most Infamous for Using Her Own Body as a Tool for a Series of Performancesurgeries Known as The Reincarnation of SaintOrlan Comments. N.p., 04 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
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>
"Plastic
Surgery." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Vesna,
Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/Ep0M2bOM9Tk.” Lecture. Medicine pt1 . Youtube,
21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
<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 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.
"Who
Is Orlan?" Who Is Orlan? N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Yah the plastic surgery section of the reading caught my attention as well! That it originated in INDIA over 4,000 years ago. As well as plastic surgery from the Greek Word plastics meaning to mold or give form.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are really informative and interesting! I love the barbie doll picture because its so true that people use it to make them happier in society. But, what people don't really focus on is that plastic surgery can be used for more than just vanity. It is a true art!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the visuals! Very interesting and related well to the material and the topic. Also, I hadn't considered how technology has helped so much in the area of plastic surgery for good (surgically repairing cleft palettes, etc.) Great work!!
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