Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art | Blog Assignment

When checking in to see the topic of this week’s blog and before getting involved in any of the readings or lectures, I immediately found myself in disbelief. Being no stranger to hospitals and medical procedures, I struggled to find the ‘art’ or beauty in medicine/technology. Growing up with a chronic illness I’ve become well accustomed to MRIs, ctscans, under the knife procedures, and basic understanding of human anatomy. Having to look at organs always made me feel queasy but was important for the understanding of my health. MRIs always made me anxious as a child, having to sit completely still for 30 minutes and do nothing but listen to a buzzing noise. After completing this week's modules I now am able to understand the unique personal connection I have with art and medicine. I feel now almost lucky to have had the opportunity to be surrounded with the images,scans, and knowledge that is what I see now, as art. As Donald Ingber says “at scales from the molecular to the macroscopic certain patterns, such as spirals, pentagons and triangulated forms”(p.49). Shapes and patterns are art  built within us. This reminds me of the complex shape that lies within us all, the double helix in our DNA. 

As Silvia Casini put it “The appeal of brain imaging as a technique of self-portrait is powerful for an audience outside the medical field, because information is conveyed through images”(p.75). Standing out to me from this quote was the idea that art and self portraits of myself were around me this whole time, I just didn't know it yet. When I think of another form of medicine and art blending I think of the works of Virgil Wong. His ability to use art through an Ipad and draw out the symptoms of patients undergoing pain so they can better communicate to a health professional what they are feeling, is what I see as yet another way art is created through tech and science. Artists Erwin Driessens  and Maria Verstappen create eye grabbing works that also combine different softwares and systems with a combination of anatomy. One process uses artificial genetics to create never before seen unique sculptures. Another example of this intersection is the art and jewelry of Emily Watson, saying “My work draws on two main sources of inspiration: geography and anatomy”. Influenced by body image, not only does our body create art, it can act as art when turned into 3D creations such as jewelry.

Sketches by Emily Watson 

Work Cited: 

“Artist + Digital Technologist Transforming Human Health.” Virgil Wong, 28 May 2022, https://www.virgilwong.com/.

Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts.” Configurations, vol. 19, no. 1, 2011, pp. 73–99., https://doi.org/10.1353/con.2011.0008.

“Emily Watson: Metal & Enamel Jewelry: Sketches: Sketchbook Pages: Prints: Photographic Light Drawings.” Emily Watson | Metal & Enamel Jewelry | Sketches | Sketchbook Pages | Prints | Photographic Light Drawings, https://www.metalemily.com/portfolio/PortfolioSketch.html.

Ingber, Donald E. “The Architecture of Life.” Scientific American, vol. 278, no. 1, 1998, pp. 48–57., https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0198-48.

Short Bio Driessens & Verstappen, https://notnot.home.xs4all.nl/text/shortBio.html.