Unit 4: MedTech + Art

I personally felt that this topic was a good mix of previous topics: robotics, technology, and of course art. It's interesting to learn that art has been playing a role in the medical field since the 15th century through anatomical drawings. The importance of anatomical art is best represented when it comes to human dissections. Early century doctors heavily depended on the drawings of human bones and different structures of the human body done by artists. Professor Vesna mentions in her lecture part 1 video, a famous example would be Leonardo Da Vinci who conducted private research of the human body and contributed to the detailed drawing of the human body.  As technology advanced, x-rays came about in medicine.
Over the summer, I had an opportunity to work in a podiatrist's office. In the office, I was able to experience first-hand how the doctors examined the bones of patients using the x-ray. I always found it fascinating how that one machine can analyze the insides of a human's body and provide guidance in spotting problems that can not be seen with a human eye. Every time I was given the x-ray results, I would stare at it in awe of how it would provide a "picture". Even then, I've never considered x-ray as art but solely as medtech. However, after this week's lecture and research, x-ray fascinated me even more in that some artists or photographers use x-ray to make art. Similar to doctors, artists use x-rays to create art that makes the audience feel as if they are looking through an object or a person. On the left is a x-ray art done by an artist named Nick Veasey. He uses x-ray to make art depicting different types of individuals such as the one on the left which is supposed to be a "valley girl".

Furthermore, Virgil Wong created an iPad app that shows personalized avatars according to appearance and body type showing the short/long term effects of smoking. It uses simulations of how a person can change in appearance due to smoking and emphasizes the negative visual transformations of smokers.

Throughout this time, I always separated medicine and art in different categories as UCLA would for "south campus" and "north campus". However, from this week's topic, this confirms once again on how art can be intricately knitted with so many subjects that we may have never thought of. As the weeks go by, I feel that my appreciation for art grows as I discover how art can play a role in our daily lives.

Glatter, MD Robert. "Can Studying Art Help Medical Students Become Better Doctors?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

"Nick Veasey's X-ray Art." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Part 1". Lecture. Web. 29 April 2017.
Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Part 2". Lecture. Web. 29 April 2017.
Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine Part 3". Lecture. Web. 29 April 2017.
Wong, Virgil. "Research." Virgil Wong. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.