Week 4- Medicine and Art

Art as we have found out over the past couple of lectures can be associated and intertwined with various different subjects. During this week’s lecture, Professor Vesna illustrated how medicine and art intersect with one another and as a result it helps us to better understand the human body. One of the most influential projects that truly encompass both art and medicine together is known as “The Visible Human Project”. This project provides detailed and specific data sets of photographs of the human body. Professor Vesna explains that with this project it “inspired artists” to create pieces of art with the human body. The ability to use the human body to create pieces of art is very beneficial because it allows us to better understand the anatomy and make-up of our bodies. 

"The Visible Human"- Image of the Human Body

Our ability to understand the human body not only relies on doctor’s evaluations/diagnoses but with the use of artwork. How our bodies are visually displayed through these pieces of art help us grasp a better idea of our inner structures/composition. Drew Berry’s “Body Code”, provides a digital animation of the “behavior, dynamics, and physical properties of DNA, bio-molecules, and proteins” (ACMI). Drew Berry’s animations enable us to see what goes on inside the human body. By combining the scientific elements needed to accurately portray our DNA and the use of animation (art), visually we are able to see and gain knowledge of what goes on inside our body. 

Pictures from Drew Berry's "Body Code"; animation of DNA 

 

Donald Ingber in his article, “The Architecture of Life”, provides insight into how art and medicine relate to one another. He states, “Thus with my highly simplified construction, I showed that tensegrity structures mimic the known behavior of living cells, “(Ingber 51). With the use of his artwork, he was able to resemble living cells and use the model to provide a visual explanation. Donald Ingber’s experiment is a prime example of how the human body can be visually represented through various art forms and we are thus able to better understand the human body. 

Donald Ingber with his model that resembles the behavior of living cells

Sources: 

Professor Vesna Lecture- https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/wiki/unit-4-view?module_item_id=970434.

Berry, Drew. Body Code http://www.acmi.net.au/drew_berry.htm.   

Ingber, Donald. “The Architecture of Life”. Scientific American Inc.  

National Library of Medicine. The Visible Human Project. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/vhpconf98/AUTHORS/LE/IMAGIND.HTM. 

Image: Berry, Drew. Body Code http://www.acmi.net.au/drew_berry.htm. 

Image: Donald Ingber. http://poptech.org/people/donald_ingber