WEEK 3: MEDTECH + ART

Interesting quote relating medicine and art

Victoria Vesna's lecture on medicine and technology was eyeopening. Medicine seemed too far in the science field to be in any way associated with art. I did not realize cadaver dissections, human anatomy, MRIs and X-rays could all be considered art. More surprisingly, according to Vesna in lecture part 2, medicine, along with using tools and technology, started off as an art form. It is hard to think that this development of art, technology, and medicine all evolved from war, a means of human destruction.

A scientist I took particular interest to was Professor Kevin Warwick, the world's first Cyborg. In his experiment, "Project Cyborg 1.0," he was "able to operate doors, lights, heaters and other computers without lifting a finger" by implanting a silicon chip transponder which emits signals to a computer. He then implanted a one hundred electrode array into his arm which emitted signals from his nervous system. With Warwick's achievements, I can see a future in electronic medicine where the disabled can function normally using signalling between an implantation and a computer.

Another person who really intrigued me was Orlan, who practiced performing arts of the body through numerous plastic surgeries. I have always been against plastic surgery (besides for medical purposes) because I saw it as fake and damaging to the human body. However, Orlan used plastic surgery as an art of self expression by surgically replicating  selected features from classical paintings of Botticelli, Francois Boucher, Leonardo Da Vinci, and more. I admire her courage to undergo so many surgeries and change her image, causing people to rethink what it means to be beautiful. 

The last person who really interested me was Diane Gromala, for she came off as quirky and weird, but her ideas were alluring. I loved her idea of "focusing inward" to touch on our "inner senses." Pain can drive people to insanity, which makes her achievements even more significant. Instead of trying to find more chemicals to put in the body, which often has side effects, Gromala invented virtual reality, a media form that acts as a meditation chamber, distracting the patient using art and relieving chronic pain. The virtual environment changes based on the patients' emotions, acting as both a scientific and artistic approach to medicine, something I find incredible.  

TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty

Sources:

Frank, Priscilla. "ORLAN Talks Plastic Surgery, Beauty Standards And Giving Her Fat To Madonna (PHOTOS, INTERVIEW, NSFW)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 9 July 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/performance-artist-orlan-interview-beauty-surgery_n_2526077.html>.

"Professor Kevin Warwick." Professor Kevin Warwick. The University of Reading, n.d. Web. 09 July 2014. <http://www.kevinwarwick.org/index.asp>.

"TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." YouTube. YouTube, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 09 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdarMz--Pw>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/FIX-9mXd3Y4.” Lecture. Medicine pt3. Youtube, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 9 July 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/psjnQarHOqQ.” Lecture. Medicine pt2 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 9 July 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.