{"id":4427,"date":"2018-03-23T09:57:53","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T13:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artthescience.com\/magazine\/?p=4427"},"modified":"2018-03-23T12:18:09","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T16:18:09","slug":"features-embodied","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artthescience.com\/magazine\/2018\/03\/23\/features-embodied\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURES – SciArt Center’s EmBodied Virtual Exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am thrilled to share my review of a beautiful virtual exhibit\u00a0titled\u00a0EmBodied<\/span><\/a><\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0SciArt Center<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>curator,\u00a0Marnie Benney. This exhibition attempts to address the big questions of our existence. <\/span>To discover who we are, we must venture into our surroundings\u00a0and place ourselves under the microscope. Our bodies are still a space of uncharted discoveries<\/span>\u00a0with unanswered scientific questions, from the complexity of the brain to the diseases we succumb to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We conceptualize, pontificate, and dream about what our physical form means. By exploring everything from our bones, gross anatomy, physiology, microbiology, neurobiology, evolution, genomes, and more, how do we begin to understand ourselves in new ways? What do our bodies tell us about who we are?” – Marnie Benney<\/p>\n

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This virtual exhibition features\u00a0diverse works that\u00a0stand out independently, while remaining connected to\u00a0the underlying theme.\u00a0Here are some of my favourites:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>
Elaine Whittaker<\/a><\/div>
“‘Cc:me’ is a mixed media installation of drawings and live bacteria. The body becomes\u00a0a site for the infectious nature of language – nuanced, messaged, poetic, copied.”<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Whittaker\u00a0never ceases to amaze me with her ability to tell a story using\u00a0bacteria. Her use of carbon copy as a means of communication in tandem with bacteria provides a unique perspective of our past and present.<\/p>\n

\"Emerge\"<\/a>

Emerge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Cc:me\"<\/a>

Cc:me<\/p><\/div>\n

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<\/div>
Kindra Crick<\/a><\/div>
“I am\u00a0especially fascinated by the human brain – our complex machine – which can fathom the\u00a0beginning of time and the nature of its own thought. However, even after centuries of study,\u00a0scientists are only now starting to chart the mysterious biological map of that thought.”<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Crick’s use of conventional (topographical) maps in conjunction with Brodmann’s area of the cerebral cortex presents an interesting layout of the brain. Her work\u00a0represents the ever changing field of neuroscience through a contrast between concrete textbook diagrams and elusive backgrounds and fills.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Brodmann's<\/a>

Brodmann’s Map<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Hindsight\"<\/a>

Hindsight<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Brodmann's<\/a>

Brodmann’s Wilderness – Mt. Hood<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>
Steve Smart<\/a><\/div>
“These images are concerned with the physicality of movement, and the\u00a0subtleties of human anatomy, neurology, and intent which control it.\u00a0Kinesthetic empathy plays a part making images from the periphery of\u00a0dance which are about perceived boundaries of both sensation and\u00a0effort.”<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Smart’s piece is multilayered and carefully places different components together. His use of waves and eyes direct us in one swift motion to the right. His work provides a sense of movement, which can be a challenge to capture in a still image.<\/p>\n

\"Eyes<\/a>

Eyes Open<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>
Cheryl Safren<\/a><\/div>
“Our bodies and the body of the universe – the same complex\u00a0patterns appear in both. The order found in these patterns contrasted\u00a0with the random and unfinished state of all living organisms provides\u00a0a dynamic equilibrium that fascinates me.”<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Safren’s use of metal and oxide films to generate unexpected hues strike an uncanny resemblance to our flesh and tissues. Her pieces\u00a0expand the capabilities of metal as an artistic medium by producing colours and textures that connect us with the human form.<\/p>\n

\"Ovum\"<\/a>

Ovum<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Follicles\"<\/a>

Follicles<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>
Bojana Ginn<\/a><\/div>
“I am interested in re-defining our relationship to ancient materials, in the context of the current environmental\u00a0situation. My installations are landscapes of light, protein, and DNA, alongside synthetic polymers.”<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Ginn’s use of synthetic and organic\u00a0fibers reflect an important question of how our natural biology will change with the continuation of\u00a0technological\u00a0enhancements and biological discoveries. With gene-editing tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9 already in place, we are left to wonder what it truly means to be human.<\/p>\n