Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

While at the doctors office looking at a MRI scan, Pet scan, x-ray, ultrasound or anything related you rarely think about the images as a piece of artwork. But in fact these digital images of various parts of our body produce art within our culture. Justine Cooper was one of the first artists who examine the connection between art, science and medicine. Cooper uses many medical technologies including MRI and ultrasound in her works.

This week recognizes the idea of Brain art. “What I find interesting are the translations/transformations it is possible to put ourselves through and how they emblemize technology’s ability to impact and shape our conceptions of space” (Justine Cooper). Like professor discussed the way we see ourselves and the way our bodies are being manipulated by technology and in turn is making a huge impact on our culture. It has truly been fascinating this week opening my eyes to the many different perspectives technology, science and medicine has had on art.

Art can be pictures and images that people look at. When the medical industry created the ultrasound this developed digital pictures for the parents to take home with them. This was a huge advancement for people to discover things about their bodies. I would not personally think of art while seeing a babies photo on the ultrasound machine at the hospital but after this week I realized that with the help of technology ultrasounds can be viewed as art. We display kids art on the fridge when they come home from school with a painted picture correct? Isn’t it fair enough to say that parents are displaying art when they come home from doctor and hang a picture of their baby inside the womb on their fridge? I believe so. These days the ultrasound is continuing to advance and technology is making it possible to see your baby in 3-d images.

The medicine industry is booming and the technological advancements that being made are created a world of art and culture through digital images and pictures. Now when I am at the doctors office I will look at these medical machines as producing a work of art. Medical technology is revolutionizing the way we perceive and are able to look at our own bodies. For example with our brains. Art is a form of self-expression and medical technology is allowing people to portray themselves on a whole new level. In Virgil Wong’s artwork she designed a fascinating way to improve doctor patient communication through data visualization of symptoms. The ability to take something in the medical tech industry and develop a piece of artwork is something that is continuing to advance and will only develop in the future. 

Sources:

 "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science              and the Arts." Silvia Casini
Ca’ Foscari Università Di Venezia. Web.

"J U S T I N E C O O P E R." J U S T I N E C O O P E R. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.                <http://justinecooper.com/>.

"Terri Smith Photo." » Ultrasound Art. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. 
<http://terrismithphotoblog.com/?p=3503>.

"Art Exhibited in Museums and Galleries around the World." Virgil Wong. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://virgilwong.com/art/>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/Ep0M2bOM9Tk.” Lecture. Medicine pt1 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2015.  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>.