medical bodies (2020) //IN PROCESS
Journal of my participation in the medical bodies – ART, MEDICINE, AND THE HUMAN BODY course taught by Marisa Satsia.
“What do art and medicine have in common? How can an investigation of the inner-workings of our bodies and its depictions in early art/anatomy/medicine dialogues inform our view of the current state of the world, our own art practice, and our selves?”
Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157713887712846
Week 1
notes from the first meeting
Pay attention to a part of your body that you rarely observe.
Maybe because it is out of sight. Use a mirror or a camera to be able to see it. Observe and draw it over time and see if you can observe change.
many ideas for things to try
not only WHAT to observe but also HOW to draw to observe
tools i could use
to draw on the body and use photography to expose the drawing
tracing lines that are already there
playing with exposure
to expose just the lines
a digital microscope to view the ink on the skin up close
[imgs]
placing my hair on a sheet of paper and using it to draw with
drawing a part of my body that i am currently fascinated with
because it will also soon produce material
Week 2
I. Adopt a curious natural object throughout these next 4 weeks
II. Observe and document your object from life as a way of getting to know your object. Work from the outside- inside. It is advised to start by drawing your object from life, however, you can use the medium of your choice as you go along if you think it will convey other aspects of the object or it will help you understand its form and function better
III. Dissect/deconstruct it and document with your material of choice
i want to get to know the tress of berlin
maybe first the horse chestnut tree because it’s seeds are conkers
and i like them
so i walk around berlin looking at the trees
amazed that i know so little about these massive plants that are all around me
trying to make sense of what i am seeing
different kinds of trunks and bark
leaves and blossoms
branching patterns
and smells
collecting some parts of the tress because i want to get to know them
feeling guilty about picking fresh green leaves
weighting the importance of my knowing against their growing
pressing the leaves to preserve them
cleaning and keeping the seeds dry
observing differences in shape
sitting down to draw
hesitant to dissect
preferring to explore with my senses
of sight
of touch
and pressure
and imagination
// other sensations to explore:
temperature
texture
use other body parts (not hands and fingertips) to feel the conker with