Sunday, July 14, 2013

Medicine, Technology, & Art

The topic of professor Vesna's lecture this week was medicine, technology, & art. Prior to taking this class, I thought that medical technology was so specialized that it would only have applications in the field of medicine. However, this week I certainly gained some new insight into how artists could re-purpose medical technology in order to inspire works of art.

An example of medical technology being applied to art

The field that intrigued, as well as disgusted, me the most was that of plastic surgery and body modification. In the modern image-obsessed culture, plastic surgery is relatively common. Since plastic surgery today requires modern medical technology, I had assumed it was a relatively recent practice. However, I was astounded to discover that it has been around since 4,000 years ago and it had started in the ancient East, not Beverly Hills.

Plastic surgery is a popular "sweet 16" gift in Korea

Since modern plastic surgery typically has a superficial application, the idea of using plastic surgery to transform one's self into a living work of art was a completely novel idea to me. After willing myself past the initial 10 gut-wrenching minutes of Orlan - Carnal Art, I was able to enjoy the originality of her idea to chose different aspects of famous paintings and incorporate them into her own body.

Basic body modification/cybernetics that anyone can do

I found Professor Warwick's Cyborg 1.0/2.0 project be equally exciting and touching. I found it refreshing to learn about some of the more practical uses that could come from integrating technology into our bodies. However, the most touching part of Warwick's research, for me, was that he was able to neurally communicate (using Morse code) with his wife through his technology. The idea that such an intimate human connection could be formed via artificial introductions to our bodies is a very interesting idea and also contradicts the Western malevolent view of robotics and cyborgs.

Prosthetic arm that integrates with remaining nerves

Based on this week's lecture and resources, I believe that in the future, robots and humans will become increasingly synergistic. Will our future resemble the Western or Eastern idea of how robots will integrate into humanity? Or as the movie Wall-E showed us, could it be both?

Dystopia

 
Utopia

Let me know what you think.

Ty

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Works Cited:

Grimes, Sara. "Dystopia...Now for Kids!."GAMINE EXPEDITION. N.p., 02 Aug 2010. Web. 14 Jul. 2013. <http://gamineexpedition.blogspot.com/2010/08/dystopianow-for-kids.html>.

Brion, Raphael. "The Drive-Thru Fast Food Bib." EAT ME DAILY. N.p., 19 May 2009. Web. 14 Jul. 2013. <http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/05/the-beltzbib-a-drive-thru-fast-food-bib-actual-product/>.

Anonym, Lepht, narr. "Cybernetics for the Masses - 27C3." CCCen. CCCen, 23 Nov 2011. web. 14 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_JpPMIriAI>.

Kuiken , Todd, perf. "A prosthetic arm that "feels"." TED. TEDxtalksDirector, 20 Oct 2011. web. 14 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded>.

Guzman, Yelena. "Problematizing the Discourse of Science." TOKYO Art Beat. N.p., 21 Dec 2009. Web. 14 Jul. 2013. <http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/2009/12/problematizing-the-discourse-of-science.html>.

KPsurgery, . N.d. Array. n.p. Web. 14 Jul 2013. <http://static.tumblr.com/927884d7e74bba92333321bfceed2ee9/5plp5hb/fxXmgqoc8/tumblr_static_____________________-.jpg>.
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownJuly 15, 2013 at 1:50 PM

    Hi Ty,

    I thought your example image of the Korean girl undergoing plastic surgery was an excellent one! In South Korea, it appears that plastic surgery is prevalent and accepted that it has become ingrained into the culture, which can be seen through the "sweet 16 present" comment you presented. I would have loved to see more of what you would say about plastic surgery in Korea and whether it is only used for beauty modifications or if there is a more artistic aspect to it.

    Your point about synergy between humans and robots/technology is a good one as well; it prompts us to think about at what rate we're are hypothetically approaching the advent of singularity. I believe that at the rate we're going, we will commonly utilize both Western and Eastern use of robotics in our everyday lives, ranging from using advanced prosthetic limbs to having domestic robots assist us in our households.

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  2. Mariko IshiiJuly 15, 2013 at 11:40 PM

    I agree with you on the fact that the extremes of plastic surgery have gone completely crazy in modern times. I also agree with you on your interpretation of the carnal art documentary. I appreciated her art form ensuing my short 10 minutes viewing, but even that took a lot out of me. I was fascinated by the pictures you posted about the Korean face-lifts.The woman pictured looks completely different in the after photo! I find it incredibly scary how perfectionists have mastered what we know as commercial plastic surgery. Also, I never got the chance to watch Wall-E, but I do think that I would have a difficult time merging worlds with robots. But, then again, aren't cars, and other machinery robots? So, maybe I am being hypocritical, since we live amongst robots already? Anyways, great post! :) I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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