Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

Week 4 Blog: Medicine + Technology + Art

The concepts from this week have been my favorite
and by far the most fascinating material we have studied
thus far. I plan on going into the medical field and have
already taken numerous classes in which I’ve learned
about many of the related topics discussed this week,
so I find it almost difficult to pick what to talk about
because it is all so interesting to me. I think the thing
that struck me the most as such a direct connection
between medicine/the human body and art was the
discussion around plastic surgery.



Professor Vesna went into great length explaining how plastic
surgery is such a good example of an intersection between
art and science in part III of this week’s lecture. I understand
plastic surgery to be a form of art for those who pay for it as
well as medical professionals that perform it. Often, the decision
is made in order to come closer to a desired beauty ideal, but
this is not always the case. Professor Vesna brings up the artist
Orlan, a woman who has made plastic surgery an art form and
a performance. While having her physical body medically
altered to a specific look, she creates a spectacle of herself
while she is operated on, challenging the traditional mold of
what plastic surgery means in other contexts. In the words of
the plastic surgery company “Galanis Plastic Surgery”, a
business ploy is made on the website’s homepage, asking
the question, “Are plastic surgeons artists?”(Dr. Galanis).
This inquiry poses the possibility that those performing the
surgery are artists in their own right, with vision and creative
license to make the human body their canvas.

In relation to the concept of plastic surgery and transformation
of the physical body, I was reminded of a T.V. show I recently
started watching called “Westworld”. The show depicts a futuristic
world in which advanced technology allows the creation of
extremely realistic human-like robots who exist solely for the
pleasure of real people who pay to enter their world and live
out their indulgent fantasies. I see how this idea takes the
concept of manipulation of the human form and combines this
with technology, in a way that is so advanced and lifelike that
it is considered art.

Sources:

Carnal Art / Art Charnel. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.orlan.eu/bibliography/carnal-art/

Is Cosmetic Surgery a Science or an Art? (2017, October 05). Retrieved from https://www.galanisplasticsurgery.com/blog/cosmetic-surgery-science-art/

Laliberte, M. (2017, September 11). Plastic Surgery Instagram Posts Aren't Usually Qualified. Retrieved from https://www.rd.com/health/healthcare/plastic-surgery-instagram/

Westworld. (2018, April 26). Retrieved from https://www.hbo.com/westworld

Westworld season 1: The Maze recap. (2018, April 23). Retrieved from http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/westworld/56763/westworld-season-1-the-maze-recap

Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/Ep0M2bOM9Tk.” Lecture. Medicine pt1 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>.
Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/FIX-9mXd3Y4.” Lecture. Medicine pt3. Youtube, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.
Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/psjnQarHOqQ.” Lecture. Medicine pt2 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.


Comments

  1. UnknownApril 28, 2018 at 8:52 PM

    Very well-thought and explanation of your understanding on how there is art in medical technology particularly in plastic surgery. I really enjoyed your description of the show "Westworld" & I think it ties in the two concepts really well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ElisseADESMA9April 29, 2018 at 4:43 PM

    I find it very interesting how our view of what "art" really is shifts throughout time. The fact that a medical procedure such as plastic surgery allows space for the creativity and artistry of the surgeon proves that, with time, the gap between science and the arts will close.

    ReplyDelete

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