At the beginning
of the quarter, I actually had the opportunity to visit a Bodies exhibit in Las
Vegas, similar to the one Professor Vesna spoke about in her lecture this week.
I found the exhibit quite fascinating, and what really intrigued me was the
plastination process used to preserve and display the bodies. It seems to me
that it takes a significant amount of medical knowledge to complete this task,
but it also takes creativity. The design and creation of the displays can take
years and results in a piece that is instructive and engrossing. The plastination
process used for these types of exhibits is described in the video below.
BODY WORLDS The plastination process.
Another topic in
this week’s lecture that I enjoyed learning about was the Human Genome Project.
I remember learning a bit about the project and its potential impact on
medicine and biotechnology in high school.
There is actually
an immersive exhibit based on the project, called “Genome: Unlocking Life’s
Code,” which is the result of a partnership between the Smithsonian and the
National Human Genome Research Institute. This exhibit works to bring some
aspects of genomic science to the public through informative and interactive
displays involving the human genome (Rothstein).
 |
| Part of the Genome exhibit. |
Now on to a
slightly different topic from this week: plastic surgery. The lecture about
plastic surgery was actually what really helped me to grasp the concept of the
connections between medical technology and art. Plastic surgery is becoming increasingly
popular as a way for people to change their appearance to suit their personal
ideals. What’s interesting is that this really shows just how different every
person’s idea of beauty is. There are people who use plastic surgery to attempt
to either conform to popular notions of beauty or duplicate celebrities’
features, as well as those who use it for extreme body modification. Many of
those involved in these procedures, which can include piercings as well as
plastic surgery, refer to themselves as “body modification artists” (Youn).
 |
| An example of body modification. |
Works Cited
“BODY WORLDS The Plastination Process." YouTube.
YouTube. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
Genome: Unlocking Life's Code. Smithsonian National Museum of
Natural History. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://unlockinglifescode.org/>.
Rothstein, Edward. "The ABC’s of Your DNA." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
“The Human Genome Project." Genetics Home Reference.
Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/hgp?show=all>.
Youn, Anthony. "Body Modification -- or Mutilation? -
CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
I like how you brought in body modification in relation to plastic surgery. It is eye-opening to see the image you chose, how there is obviously artistic value and creativity in that body modification; however, it is not the same as Orlan, who had her plastic surgeries performed explicitly for the sake of art. I also think the evolution of plastic surgery is very interesting, morphing from mainly reconstructive surgery to cosmetic (many would argue unnecessary) procedures over the last 80 or so years. Great take on the topic!
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