WEEK 4: MEDTECH + ART

 Due to my lack of background in the field, I usually do not associate medicine technology with art. The thought of going to any doctor's office typically leads to unpleasant feelings rather than the pleasant aesthetics of art. This unit, however, has changed such views.
The journal articles "The Architecture of Life" and "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts" highlighted how much of an art the study of the human body and medicine are as complex systems. Although I have spent years studying biology, I had never thought of the significance of the cytoskeleton in the cell in relation to what Donald Ingber describes as "tensegrity- an architectural system in which structures stabilize themselves by balancing the counteracting forces of compression and tension" (Ingber). I always saw MRIs or any x-ray in a negative light (LOL, pun intended) due to their ties to cancer or injuries. Casini’s perspective of such images as portraits of ourselves open to interpretation to doctor’s diagnoses has given me more appreciation to such medical advancements.

What is typically taught about the cytoskeleton. 


What really struck me this week was the documentary Orlan, Carnal Art. I find Orlan’s belief that changing the "ways to think about one's body and one's beauty" interesting, as such ideas bring about discussion of the idea of beauty and how much culture influences people's perceptions of beauty. Such ideas bring to mind the differing ideas of beauty between different cultures. For instance, in Filipino culture, beauty is perceived to be someone of fair skin tone with a thin body; as such, many Filipinos are open (and often proud) about getting cosmetic surgery. In contrast, while plastic surgery is somewhat common in the US, there tends to be a negative connotation, especially among women celebrities. While I found her message valuable and meaningful, I found her means to express her beliefs through her art, in this case her body, kind of drastic.


In the documentary, Orlan received several surgery operations to change her appearance to what beauty in past history was perceived.

The use of cosmetic surgery as art also brings to mind the debate about the Hippocratic Oath and its relevance to today’s medicine. Such surgery is controversial in the sense that it may lead to unnecessary health risks (such as death) to patients, which would technically disregard a physician’s oath to “keep them from harm and injustice” (Tyson). As such, I think it is important to continue the discussion of the Oath and its role in modern medicine.



Works Cited
Casini, Silvia. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as MIrror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts." The John Hopkins University Press and the Society for Literature and Science 19 (2011): 73-99. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221868128_Magnetic_Resonance_Imaging_MRI_as_Mirror_and_Portrait_MRI_Configurations_between_Science_and_the_Arts>.

Ingeber, Donald E. "The Architecture of Life." Scientific American (1997): 48-56. Web. <http://time.arts.ucla.edu/Talks/Barcelona/Arch_Life.htm>.

 Jeffries, Stuart. "Orlan's art of sex and surgery." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 July 2009. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jul/01/orlan-performance-artist-carnal-art>.

Orlan. Digital image. The Guardian. The Guardian, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2009/jul/01/orlan-artist-interview>.

Orlan, Carnal Art. Dir. Stephan Oriach. Perf. Orlan. Orlan, Carnal Art. YouTube, 13 Mar. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no_66MGu0Oo>.

 Rondilla, Joanne Laxamana. "Colonial Faces: Beauty and Skin Color Hierarchy in the Philippines and the U.S." UC Berkeley: Ethnic Studies. (2012): Web. <http://escholarship.org/uc/item/9523k0nb>

Sharma, Subramaniya. Cytoskeleton. Digital image. N.p., 12 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2017. <https://www.slideshare.net/subramaniyasharma1/cytoskeleton-40166567>.

 Thebelomedicalgroup. YouTube. YouTube, 04 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4x2Bta7JKw>.

 Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html>.

Comments

  1. Kayla EberMay 1, 2017 at 3:50 PM

    Your idea of bringing in the Hippocratic oath is very interesting and is something I never considered in the role of plastic surgery. Jaw refining surgery and liposuction both have relatively high mortality rates and yet they are still performed constantly. I think Orlan's work was also drastic, but that's just art, it is drastic to make a point. I also enjoyed your negative light pun :)

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