Week 4: Medical Technology and Art

The subject I found particularly fascinating this week was the plasticized human bodies exhibit. I have been lucky enough to visit two of the exhibits so far, one in Los Angeles a few years ago and one in Las Vegas this past summer. What really struck me was not only the incredible detail in all of the specimens, but the way the bodies and organs were arranged. I have a pretty strong background in anatomy, so I wouldn't necessarily say that anything was completely new to me, but certain things were definitely surprising. For example, we talk about newborn development and many of us understand the steps involved between blastocyst and fetus, but seeing the actual difference in size was amazing. Also, the sheer quality of the specimens was amazing, likely due to the plastination process ("The Plastination Process").

A Chinese plant owner inspects plastinated specimens before shipment

In this sense, I feel that we often overlook the relationship between art and education. In many ways, being able to visualize a scientific process is incredibly important in learning that process. As Professor Vesna mentioned, her practice in drawing the numerous features of bones allowed her to understand anatomical concepts more clearly later on. Another example of this would be in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) pictures, many of which are used in an artistic fashion. Although the images themselves are used for medical and educational purposes, their use in artwork serves to teach many uninformed people about human anatomy, which was the case in Justine Cooper's RAPT 1 in 1998 (Casini, 2011). Below, we see an example of sculpture based on MRI scans (Jacobsen, 2012).

Resonance Punctuated, a tactile sculpture based on false-color MRI scans of the brain

On this same note, I was also interested in our discussion of different plastic surgeries, which have grown into an art form of their own. On the one hand, most of us think of plastic surgery as it is used for augmentation of appearances. For example, dimple creation is a common, though less controversial, cosmetic procedure. The paper by Lari and Panse outlines their method for creating dimples in patients that is less risky and highly effective (Lari & Panse, 2012). We are quick to dismiss this industry because we associate it with wealthy supermodels and housewives, but that ignores an important issue: reconstruction for patients suffering from burns, severe trauma, or cancer. As Barrett discusses in his review, "the basic concerns in burns reconstruction are for function, comfort, and appearance" (Barrett, 2004). Reconstructive surgery for these patients is a necessity in order to lead normal lives. As such, I think we can appreciate that, even though plastic surgery can be used for frivolous procedures, the art of cosmetic surgery is necessary for deserving individuals.

An example of facial reconstructive surgery for a burn patient from the
New York Center for Facial Plastic and Laser Surgery

References:

Barret, J. P. "Burns Reconstruction." BMJ 329.7460 (2004): 274-76. Print.

Casini, Silvia. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts." Configurations 19 (2011): 73-99. Print.

Jacobsen, Laura. "Brain Scapes I." Laura Jacobson Fine Art Galleries. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.laurajacobson.com/galleries/brainscapes_I.html>.

Lari, Ar, and Nikhil Panse. "Anatomical Basis of Dimple Creation - A New Technique: Our Experience of 100 Cases." Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery 45.1 (2012): 89-93. Print.

"The Plastination Process." Plastination. Institute for Plastination. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/plastination/plastination_process.html>.


Sheng, Li. Bio-Technique Company Founder. Digital image. TIME.com. 14 Sept. 2011. Web.

Burn Plastic Surgery Patient 1. Digital image. New York Center for Facial Plastic and Laser Surgery. Web.