Week 4: The intersection of Medtech and Art through Imaging and Imagination

This week, the lectures and provided articles explored the intersection of Art and medicine. We traced the historical significance of human dissection from ancient times to the present day. I found the advancement of medical technologies paralleling the advancements in Art, like 3D scans and plastination, very fascinating. Once technologies such as X-rays, MRIs, and CAT scans were made available to analyze, diagnose, and study the human body, the production of Art shifted to interpreting what once we could not see, but now we can. It provided connectors from a physical dimension to our imagination dimension. This shift in perception of the human body includes genetics, the digital body, and the corporate body.

I selected two artists this week to illustrate the awe I have for how they have artistically rendered medical technologies, such as MRI and CT scans. Below is a piece of artwork by Greg Dunn. Here, he captures the spinal Cord by using gold, handmade microtechnology. This piece of artwork is striking! Truly a fusion of the medical technology of imaging the spinal Cord and our connectivity and imagination of our anatomy. This is yet another example of a symbiotic relationship between Art and science. Both involve innovation and vision from a human perspective, addressing needs and functions.

"This image was made entirely from scratch, deeply informed by the neuroscientific literature and my background in neuroscience, and designed to be an attractive piece of fine Art as well as an accurate atlas of both anatomy and connectivity. It is the most ambitious project that I’ve undertaken since the creation of Self-Reflected." -Greg Dunn.


Spinal Cord- Greg Dunn

Artist Virgil Wong uses personalized 3D anatomical bodies and imaging to visualize health and the human body through the spectrum of time (past, present, and future). 


The Perfect Human- Virgil Wong


Virgil created this piece called "The Perfect Human". This was very relevant to how medicine, technology, and Art intersect in shaping our ideas of beauty. What is the perfect human? The image that appears may change over time as medical technology converges with Art, producing culture. Plastic Surgery in many societies has become rampant and, in many respects, a common practice and expectation of what constitutes standard beauty. South Korea is now the global leader in plastic Surgery, and it's interesting to consider how K-pop and K-dramas are influencing mainstream American pop culture and entertainment. What will this mean for views on beauty standards, specifically how Asians are perceived? From an American historical perspective, Asian women have been objectified and fetishized while Asian men have been emasculated. How do the changing perceptions through Art, such as plastic Surgery and entertainment (music, television, and film), shift these ideologies (much of which through a racist lens), change or not? I find myself pondering these very ideals.


 

Video: Why is South Korea the Plastic Surgery Capital of the world?


Works Cited:


ART - Virgil Wong. (2024, November 25). Virgil Wong. https://www.virgilwong.com/art/


Eicher, E. (2024, March 7). The case of the Korean cosmetic surgery industry. The Case of the Korean Cosmetic Surgery Industry - the Echo. https://www.theechonews.com/article/2024/03/students-reflect-on-experiences

GREG DUNN NEURO ART- Brain and Neuroscience Fine Art Paintings. (2021, September 17). GREG DUNN NEURO ART. https://www.gregadunn.com/


Retired Working For You. (2022, October 8). Why is Korea the plastic surgery Capital of the World? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4OA0p7960


Rowland, T. (2013, July 23). 9 people who have turned medical imaging into Art. Soliant Health. https://www.soliant.com/blog/9-people-who-have-turned-medical-imaging-into-art/


Image Citation


Spinal Cord, 22K gold handmade gilded microetching 2021-2022 by Greg Dunn and Brian Edwards


The Perfect Human, by Virgil Wong




Comments

  1. ninamatloobDESMA9April 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM

    Hi Jack,

    Great post! I was similarly interested in how the introduction of medical technologies, like the MRI, changed art as we were then able to see parts of the human anatomy that could not be seen just by the naked eye. This opened up so much into what we know of and how we depict humans. I also really liked the art pieces you included in your post. Specifically, I really enjoyed the artistic piece titled Spinal Cord. I'm fascinated by the intricacies captured in the piece and how it glows.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MarinaApril 24, 2025 at 8:23 PM

    Hello Jack,
    I really enjoyed reading your post! I love how you connected the evolution of medical imaging—like MRIs and CT scans, to shifts in artistic expression. That line you wrote about these technologies creating a bridge between the “physical dimension and our imagination dimension” really stuck with me, it’s such a poetic and accurate description of how these tools expand both understanding and creativity.

    Greg Dunn’s Spinal Cord piece is absolutely stunning. His blend of microetching and neuroscience really captures the awe and intricacy of human anatomy. I also appreciate how you highlighted Virgil Wong’s The Perfect Human. It raises such important questions about the role of art and medicine in shaping cultural ideals and even biases around beauty and identity. Your reflection on the global impact of plastic surgery, especially in the context of K-pop and changing Asian representation, was powerful and insightful.

    This week, I also found myself thinking about how artists like Oron Catts and Mary Maggic use biotechnology and hormone hacking to explore similar questions of body autonomy and identity. It’s fascinating to see how medical tools, whether through scanning or sculpting—are no longer just diagnostic but deeply expressive.

    Thanks for sharing such a layered and thought-provoking post!

    Marina Mantashian











    ReplyDelete
  3. JIEYI SHANG DESMA9April 26, 2025 at 3:12 AM

    Hi Jack, I really liked your blog! You made such a great point about how medical tech like MRIs and CT scans opened up a whole new world for artists. Greg Dunn’s spinal cord piece is incredible — I love how he mixes science and art in such a detailed and beautiful way. Your thoughts on The Perfect Human really got me thinking, too, especially about how plastic surgery is shaping beauty standards around the world. Like you said, countries like South Korea are leading the way, and now their beauty trends are influencing the U.S. as well. It makes me wonder how much of our idea of “perfect” is actually just cultural pressure.

    ReplyDelete

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