Module 4: MedTech + Art

 Advancements made in medical technology have enhanced our ability to create art. From the video lectures on the intersection of medical technology and art, I learned about how artists from the Renaissance era would dissect cadavers to understand how the human body functions (Lecture). This enabled them to better represent the body in their artworks. 

Artists in the current era also use these methods. Stelarc suspends human bodies using hooks through their skin and moves them around, both translationally and rotationally. An example of this is shown below.

(Stelarc)

These procedures allow artists to study how the body moves so that they can replicate it in their own works.

Other forms of modern medical technological advancements include hormone therapy. Re:publica speaks of how transgender women are able to teach synthesis of hormones at home, allowing more people to be able to live freely and express their gender as they choose. This allows for an increased focus on artistic expression (re:publica).

There are also ways to use medical technology as a tool for creating art. For example, Marilene Oliver created a family portrait using MRI images. This portrait, including her parents, her brother, and herself, are shown below.

(Abbott)

Medical technology has also greatly improved the ability of physical artists to create their art. Dances and musicians struggle to produce their art without the physical abilities to do so. Organizations such as MedTech Europe help to put on events to support this collaboration between MedTech and Art (d.iannone@medtecheurope.org).

(d.iannone@medtecheurope.org)


Works Cited

Abbott, Wynn. “Feature: Medical Interventions—Visual Art Meets Medical Technology.” The Lancet, vol. 368, Dec. 2006, pp. S17–18, doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(06)69910-8.

d.iannone@medtecheurope.org. “Art of Life When MedTech Meets Art.” MedTech Europe, 28 Sept. 2017, https://www.medtecheurope.org/news-and-events/news/art-of-life-when-medtech-meets-art/.

re:publica. Re:Publica 2023: Mary Maggic - Biohacking: An Existential Knowing. 13 June 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLSiSTQhs1A.

“STELARC.” SUSPENSION 2012, http://stelarc.org/_activity-20325.php. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

UCLA. Module 4 Lecture Part 1: MedTech +  Art. https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/206149/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=7319603. 

Comments

  1. Harper CooperApril 27, 2025 at 10:05 PM

    Hi Evy, great post! I love how you included the effect medical technology has had on artistic performance. Like you, I find it particularly interesting how art and medicine intersect in terms of dance and ballet; you cannot have one without the other! Question for you: Which type of performance artists do you think benefit more from medicine, dancers or musicians? Again, great post!

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