Medicine + Art + Technology

Created by Emily Watson

Before Professor Vesna's lecture, I only thought of x-rays as a purely medical tool or simply the protocol for airport security, but never considered it a form of art. As I continued my research on x-rays I learned that it was a form of electromagnetic radiation that was first observed and documented by German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895. He used it to create detailed images of the bones inside and since then it has advanced not only medical studies, but also the art field. When I read about Emily Watson creating jewelry based on the what she saw on MRIs and x-rays, I was even more amazed regarding the integration between medicine and art. Many do not see our own corporal bodies as a work of art, but the contour of our body shape and the movement of our joints is really beautiful. After seeing Watson's work, I expanded my research of artists who have been inspired by the internal representation of our bodies. I found Arie van't Riet's TED talk about looking deep inside nature and how he was a medical physicist and slowly became an artist through the use of his x-ray machine. His exploration of art in nature (flowers, insects, and animals) sparked my interest further and led to a couple more artists. 

Hugh Turvey's "Foot in High Heel Shoe"

Artists have been known to use out-of-the-box mediums to display their art and make a statement, and Hugh Turvey has been one to use this primarily medical tool as a form of art. He has blurred the lines between photography and radiology coining a new term "xogram" which serves to describe a merge of an x-ray and photogram. He started taking xograms of objects in order to reveal their internal structure and has now moved on to portraits exposing their most prized possessions. Today Hugh Turvey has embraced technology even more by sharing his art on an his own app on the iPad. 

Nick Veasay's "Matchless Motorcycle Rider"

Another artist who embraces the x-rays ability to reveal the commonly unseen is Nick Veasey. Although his work does include portraits and objects as Turvey does, his current project is on the subject of motorcycles. Professor Vesna explained in the lecture that a common use of the x-ray was also for manufacturers to check to make sure that their products were built properly. Especially large modes of transportation, the ability to double check the internal structure of the machinery is important for safety. Through the x-ray images, the details are revealed and each screw is shown and it's aesthetics are visually appealing. 
 
[1] Gambino, Megan. "X-Ray Art: A Deeper Look at Everyday 
[2] Objects."Smithsonian. Smithsonian.com, 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/x-ray-art-deeper-look-everyday-objects-180949540/?no-ist>.
[3] Looking Deep Inside Nature Using Xray: Arie Van't Riet at TEDxGroningen. Perf. Arie Van't Riet. TED, 2013. Youtube.[4] "Nickveasey." HOME -. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nickveasey.com/>.
[5] Science Mission Directorate. "X-Rays" Mission:Science. 2010. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.25 Apr. 2015 http://missionscience.nasa.gov
[6] Yoo, Alice. "Radiation Physicist Beautifully Colorizes X-Ray Images of Nature." My Modern Net. N.p., 19 Dec. 2013. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mymodernmet.com%2Fprofiles%2Fblogs%2Farie-vant-riet-nature-xray-art>.

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