KarlaDESMA9: Week 4: Media Technology and Art

This week’s topic of the incorporation of the human body, technological advancements, and art was very interesting to me. I thought the connections made between the three were very interesting because often times these are in opposite locations. The anti-artists will often claim that biology, human anatomy, and such will always be more important the colors and paintbrushes. However, through these week’s observations it is clear that in many times, one cannot coexist without one of these involved. The first thing that came to mind when studying the material for this week was how x-rays have been used in a form of art. As in my previous blogs, yet another TED Talk came to mind. In general, I have been an avid Ted Talk viewer, so I know that I may always include a Ted Talk video, but it has just been such a useful platform to share people’s ideas across the world. It is because of this that I have been able to learn so much and listen to many outstanding stories of talented individuals who find new solutions or new ways of creating something outstanding in life. So in terms of this week’s topic, the artist Arie van't Riet came to mind. In the video below, you can see the way in which a medical physicist, who worked for radiotherapy, radiology, and nuclear medicine, became an “artist.”

To me what is most beautiful and interesting about this week’s ideas is that when we force ourselves to combine these subjects and create something amazing that is when we truly make an impact. Take Arie for example, had he limited his imagination and his mind to just his job as a radiologist specialist, we would have been deprived from his beautiful creations of nature as seen below:

Arie claims to have wanted to reveal the beauty inside nature by showing the physical world and its color. According to this, not only do we get to admire a unique form of art, but also we open many doors for the future. Arie is thinking of ways to move forward with this idea and is in the process of creating 3D visualizations of these images and increasing the size of the creatures he wishes to capture, like flamingos. I think that this is the most beautiful thing about combining these ideas because we are able to teach others about what can be achieved if one surpasses limits and norms, and thus can be proven by new forms of art, technology, and overall life developments. A similar form of art is being created by Turvey calls who is also using x-ray technology to capture everyday life. Below you can see some of his work in combining all of these subjects: