Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

 Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

April 26, 2024 

Before this week's material, I had not put much thought towards medical technologies in relation to art. In the first lecture video, Professor Vesna expresses that she thought “how does this have anything to do with contemporary art,” (00:46) when learning anatomically correct skeletons one bone at a time, but then later in life found that knowledge helpful in current pursuits. While I have never been classically trained in art and anatomy to gain those skills, I often find my own experiences with medical issues aiding me in artistic representations of the body or its makeup. For example, I have unfortunately broken many bones and ran into other injuries that require x-rays or MRI’s. With these recurring imaging needs, I have spent a decent amount of time studying the images and construction of anatomically correct bone structures. Now in my current projects in themed entertainment (specifically haunted attractions), I use my mental images of my own medical images to construct more accurate visual representations of the human body. 

Kari Ringer    Kari is a Discover Universal podcast host. When she’s not chatting about her favorite things in the parks or hotels. (2023, August 30). Podcast: Halloween horror nights 2023 tribute store. Discover Universal. https://blog.discoveruniversal.com/podcasts/podcast-halloween-horror-nights-2023-tribute-store/ 

Two of the artists from this week stood out to me as I wondered how their work could inspire further medical/bodily technology into themed entertainment. Drew Berry’s Body code’s (2023) animations of the microscopic level of the human body could be used in themed areas such as science learning centers and haunted attractions that portray the workings of our bodies. Interestingly, concepts such as the Olfactory Art (2014) by Eduardo Kac are already used in some themed entertainment development. Attractions such as The Simpsons Ride and Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America at Universal Studios Hollywood incorporate scent into their experiences. With the innovation of Kac’s use of scent in relation to medical technology, I wonder how themed attractions could be affected by the further science of medical technology to see how to best incorporate scent into attractions and stories. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=YnUAnIKf0CA             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTKZuci9BtI

Sources

Attractions 360. (2023, September 12). Monstruos haunted house walkthrough | HHN at Universal Studios Hollywood 2023. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTKZuci9BtI

Berry, D. (2023, October 10). Body code. WEHI. https://www.wehi.edu.au/wehi-tv/body-code-2/

Kac, E. (2014). Olfactory art. OSMOBOXES. https://www.ekac.org/osmobox.html 

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture Part 1: Human Body & Medical Technologies.” April 2024, UCLA. Lecture.

03, U. (2023, March 30). The simpsons ride: Krustyland Katastrophe!. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=YnUAnIKf0CA