MedTech + Art
Before this week’s lecture and readings, I never pondered much about the connection between art and the medical community, but with Dr. Vesna’s lectures I was able to see the connection between the two. I really enjoyed both the information about the incorporation of technology into medicine and how plastic surgery came to be.
In the second lecture, Dr. Vesna mentioned that medicine was founded in art and that the use of technology and apparatus disqualified a doctor of their ability. I found this interesting and within a lot of truth because previously she had mentioned that artists were discovering the human body, dissecting it, and creating images so that other artists could view and it eventually became a form of art, but also a study.
In addition, I also learned the close connection between plastic surgery and art. To many people today, when we think of plastic surgery we often think of it to be “fake” and literally plastic, however, its origins are far from this modern-day perception. If anything, plastic surgery was used to restore faces that were blown up due to tragic events from wars. Plastic surgery was learned from eastern medicine and later brought into western medical practices. Additionally, Dr. Vesna brings up a rather extreme form of art that connects to plastics: artist Orlan. After reading the article “The Oath by Hippocrates,” it made me ponder on the ethics of the artist Orlan and their surgeon to constantly reconstruct their body, while dressed up in costumes as an expression of art.
Personally, I have not seen many artist projects in relation to medical technologies, but upon viewing Virgil Wong’s website, I was interested in seeing his understanding of providing quality patient care. Dr. Wong meets with his patients on a regular basis, has records of their symptoms and in turn creates amazing illustrations of their pain that would not appear on an x-ray or radiative machine.
Cited Sources
Tyson, Peter. “The Hippocratic Oath Today.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Mar. 2001, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/hippocratic-oath-today/.
Vesna, Victoria. “Human Body and Medical Technologies, Part 1.” DESMA 9. Los Angeles, UCLA
Vesna, Victoria. “Human Body and Medical Technologies, Part 2.” DESMA 9. Los Angeles, UCLA
Vesna, Victoria. “Human Body and Medical Technologies, Part 3.” DESMA 9. Los Angeles, UCLA
Wong, Virgil. “Artist + Digital Technologist Transforming Human Health.” Virgil Wong, 18 Mar. 2024, www.virgilwong.com/.
Photo Reference Links
https://artdesign.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/orlan_0.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/1789/42663887754_1f3b6b1b23_b.jpg
https://www.virgilwong.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/a2-771x1024.jpg
Hi Rebecca, I really liked your research on Virgil Wong, and I too think it is very interesting how Wong records symptoms through illustrations. Very fascinating stuff! Additionally, I like how you talked about the history of plastic surgery and how it was used as a tool to help people who have faced serious injuries. I had never thought about the true medical properties of plastic surgery because of the way it is stereotyped in society nowadays.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca, I enjoyed reading your blog post, specifically your analysis of how the perception of plastic surgery has changed. I thought it was very interesting how you tied the Hippocratic Oath into a dissection of Orlan's work as many questions of ethics arise with her work. For me, it raises the question of whether art forms such as her own are ethically acceptable to partake in as a physician/surgeon.
ReplyDeleteHello Rebecca Reading your blog post was interesting, especially the way you examined how people's perceptions of plastic surgery have evolved. Because Orlan's work raises a lot of ethical concerns, I found it extremely interesting how you connected the Hippocratic Oath to an analysis of her work. It begs the question, in my opinion, of whether it is morally appropriate for a doctor or surgeon to engage in artistic endeavors like her own.
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