Week 4 Blog
In the post-industrialization world that we live in today, art and technology finds itself in so many different realms, one of the most important of which being medicine. We can look to surgical hospitals, where practices that have been in use for centuries have been changed with the incorporation of technology. Unlike 20 years ago, in several surgical operating rooms around the world today, there are more than just humans operating on the patient, but highly-technologically developed machines, as well. Furthermore, technological advancement has allowed for the creation of the “Gamma Knife” and the “3D Mammogram” which provides a more efficient way of detecting cancer [XFC, n.d.]. Furthermore, technological advancement and art has improved changed plastic surgeries operate, as different ways to enhance features have come about within the last century have arose, such as botox [Vesna]. Through all, media and TV is persistent in realizing this intersection for the big screen, as medicine and technology, shortened to the genre “MedTech,” are the basis for several sci fi films, such as GATTACA.
Within the more artistic realm, exhibits such as “Body World,” incorporate medicine, anatomy, technology, and art in a unique way. For example, through donated cadavers, Body World 3 featured “The Story of the Heart,” in which more than 200 real human specimens were displayed, which included some full bodies, slices of these bodies, and organs alone [Tran].
Sophie de Oliveira Barata, a special effects and prosthetics specialist, has committed her artistry to designing prosthetic limbs that she describes to be “something out of a fairytale . . or a sci-fi movie.” For example, one of her designs contains a built-in working clock, and a bell pendulum. This way, the leg serves as more than a replacement for limb, but as an artistic statement, as well [Hart]. Outside of de Oliveira Barata, others partake in prosthetic limb design, as well. The way in which this process is imagined includes a 3D scan, mirror, and digital superimposition of the “surviving leg” and used as reference for the prosthetic. After designing the prosthetic, it is then 3D printed for usage.
Works Cited
Hart, Matthew. “These Prosthetic Limbs Are Literal Artistic Masterpieces.” Nerdist, 17 March 2021, https://nerdist.com/article/prosthetic-limbs-art-alternative-limb-project/. Accessed 28 April 2023.
Summit, Scott. “Turning prosthetic limbs into art.” CNN, 23 March 2012, https://www.cnn.com/2012/03/23/tech/turning-prosthetic-limbs-into-art/index.html. Accessed 28 April 2023.
Tran, Lisa. “Body Worlds: Anatomy and Art – TEACH Magazine.” TEACH Magazine, https://teachmag.com/archives/2543. Accessed 28 April 2023.
Vesna, Victoria. "Lectures Part 1." DESMA 9, 11 April 2022, UCLA, Bruinlearn, Unit 4.
XFC. “The Intersections Of Science And Technology In Medicine.” IPC Digital, 15 November 2021, https://ipcdigital.com/the-intersections-of-science-and-technology-in-medicine/. Accessed 28 April 2023.
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