In this week’s lecture we learned about the relationship
between art and the physicality of the human body. After watching the videos
for this week, it seems to me that there is a fascination with what can be done
to the body in order to keep it as a human form without being entomological
human anymore. I think one of the most intriguing things in this new world is
the development of prosthetic arms and legs by global companies like Ossur that
act and look like skin and flesh. This technology is not only able to help
those with physical disabilities, but is a new connection between the human and
what can be created out of the human form.
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| Prosthetic leg designed for above knee amputees |
Another interesting thing that I found was the use of MRI
technology in looking at brain function versus neurological changes that appear
as art (Casini). The MRI art can only be created with a function of the human
mind, something that happens naturally.
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| A look at an MRI done at the Bunge Lab at UC Berkeley |
In reading the Hippocratic Oath, it was interesting to
see the difference in the translations and the changes that have been made due
to the advancements both in education and technology. This leads me to wonder
what kind of changes will be made to the Hippocratic Oath in the future due to
new technology that could allow for changes in techniques and practices, such
as the introduction of brain scans and the sort.
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| An original translation of the Hippocratic Oath |
Sources –
Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and
the Arts - Silvia Casini
The Hippocratic
Oath Today, Peter Tyson, NOVA - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html
Bunge Lab, UC Berkely - http://bungelab.berkeley.edu/recovery-from-focal-brain-injury-early-in-development/
In your blog, you noted that "there is a fascination with what can be done to the body in order to keep it as a human form without being entomological human anymore." I semi-agree but would alter that slightly and say that we are trying to make improvements on the existing body. Even those with disabilities still have a body, they are just adding technological parts to them to make them more mobile and functional. This was the same with the third hand that Professor Vesna mentioned in lecture. Plastic surgery is used to improve one's appearance without changing the existing body as a whole. Also, MRI technology is fabulous. I've had to use it numerous times and it always intrigues me what technology can do to help the body. Have you ever had one done?
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