Week 4 - Medicine + Technology + Art

It had never occurred to me before this week just how integrated medicine and art are, not only in influence but also development.  Similarly to last weeks discussion of technology, in the early development of these fields, medical knowledge and art compliment each other in a mutually dependent way.  Through this weeks materials as well as some ideas that have carried over from week three, it is clear the these three industries have all historically been pushing forwards in the same direction with different goals in mind, yet still carry influence and inspiration across the different spheres of discovery and creation.  The work which, to me, exemplifies this relationship in art is Gunther von Hagens and Dr. Angelina Whalley's work, Body Worlds.  Hagens' Plastination process in itself is a technological miracle which can highlight and preserve the human body in exquisite detail and makes his art that much more surreal and intriguing.  I find it fascinating that art has progressed from grecian marble to exhibits like Body Worlds, which both have timeless inspiration; a universal obsession within science and art centering around the human form.  Even farther back all the way to the Egyptians and farther to ancient cave paintings the human form is at the center of art and depictions of life.  Body World melds together technology and medical understanding of complex anatomy to literally incorporate the human body in artistic creation.  The connection of the mind and body is an expression across art and bound together in terms of expression.  In my mind this connection is what has driven the exploration of the body both medically and scientifically as well as artistically forward and progressed the body of knowledge to where it is today.  In exploring the body, we are finding out details about our existence down to the DNA level as well as physical structure at a cellular level, such as in the Ingber reading which shows how this knowledge can help in other structural applications.  Through these fields each searching for answers in the human body, innovations progresses what we are capable of creating and what inspires that creation.

 Works Cited

Aldrich, Virgil C. "Art and the Human Form." The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 29.3 (1971): 295-302. JSTOR. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

"How Can Technology Transform the Human Body?" Lucy McRae:. TED Talks, n.d. Web. Apr. 2015.

Ingber, Donald E. "The Architecture of Life." Scientific American 278.1 (1998): 48-57. Web.

Von Hagens, Gunther. "Bodyworlds." Bodyworlds. BIODUR, n.d. Web. Apr. 2015.

Xue, Dr Wei-Feng. "A Personal Thought on Photography, Art, Biology and Science." Society of Biology Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

Week 3 - Robotics and Art

This weeks lecture and readings gave me new ideas regarding the interdependent relationship between art and technology and how they can drive each-other forward.  In terms of innovation art has played a role in progressing what needs technology fills and can help set goals for scientists and developers.  Sci-fi as a genre in both print and film has always tried to predict technology and has shaped the way many technologies have developed in the modern world; from communication to health to travel, this artistic influence is seen across society. In 1977, Princess Leia appeared on screen asking for Obi Wan's help as a small hologram and in 2012 Tupac stepped on stage from the dead as a hologram and amazed hundreds of thousands of people.  Technology has given art limitless direction and personal connection.  In reading both Benjamin and Davis' works I'm more inclined to agree with Davis as the modern age has allowed unlimited access by the audience and unlimited direction for the artists.  Benjamin sees the world from a Marxian perspective where humanity is sucked out of the products of labor through reproduction and distribution.  I could see this as an ideology during the industrial revolution, however in today's connected world, technology and art are nearly inseparable in terms of creation and influence.  Davis recognizes the importance of the individual experience and meaning taken from art despite its medium.  In a way artists today are creating with the audience rather than dictating what they should want to experience. That being said, this modern age has not diminished the power and appeal of an original which is why millions of people see plays and live music.  The Louvre alone attracts almost 10 million visitors a year to see original masterpieces despite all of the pieces being a google search away for viewing purposes. To me, technology has expanded art in many ways but does not take the power away from the power of original creation.

 

Works Cited

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." (1936): n. pag. Print.

Cheatham, Dennis. "The Power of Science Fiction: Exploring Sci-fi's Relationship to Real-World Innovation." The Power of Science Fiction: Exploring Sci-fi's Relationship to Real-World Innovation. N.p., 2011. Web. Apr. 2015.

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995)." Leonardo 28.5, Third Annual New York Digital Salon (1995): 381-86. JSTOR. Web. Apr. 2015.

Economics. Global Attractions Attendance ReportCredits (n.d.): n. pag. Themed Entertainment Assosiation, 2012. Web. Apr. 2015.