Week 4 - Medicine, Technology, Art

It was interesting to learn that art was incorporated in the creation of x-rays and MRIs. Professor Vesna pointed out that we take these medical technologies for granted and I found that true. Before this, I never once thought how someone had to accurately hand draw to portray the human skeletons onto paper. Since computers and x-ray machines gives people easier access to seeing skeletons, it was easy to over look the beginnings of the depiction of skeletons. Furthermore, medicine and art seemed so different that I never knew there could be a connection. It was hard to view the art pieces as artistic since they were created by machines-- which don't really have artistic capabilities since it does not have any creativity and can only do what it is programmed to make. However, although the x-ray machines are programmed in a certain way, since the input into the x-ray machines are different each time, I can see how the x-ray scans can be seen as one form of art. If we take into consideration the artistic origins of drawing skeletons, it is easier to see how x-ray can be considered artistic. This new insight helped me see how x-rays and MRI has influenced the art culture as well.The readings and lectures of x-rays, reminded me of a neon dance routine I saw before: Although I didn't realize it at the time, now I see how the concept of x-rays could have inspired this type of dance routines. Casini had argued that that "MRI is like a self portrait... [and] it allows for imaginative insight"(88). It was difficult to see how MRIs can give imaginative insight, but seeing these dances gave me a new insight. MRIs and x-rays allow us to be more imaginative, like in this dance, we can use our imaginations to depict what the insides of our bodies look like. The depiction does not have to be of a normal skeleton, instead it could be anything, like shown in the video. That's where our imagination could come in. - Amazing Tron Dance Performed by Wrecking Orchestra. Dir. Rushgarroth. Youtube. N.p., 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. - Casini, Silvia. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts." N.p.: n.p., n.d. 73-99. Print. - Human Body Diagram. Digital image. Human Anatomy 101. N.p., 19 July 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. - Human Skeleton. Digital image. History of Skeleton. Stanford, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. - Uconlineprogram. "Medicine Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2017. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.