Week 4 | Medicine + Technology + Art

I don’t have any experience with medical technologies other than taking x-rays at the dentist. However, I’ve always found hearing implants interesting. 


Fig 1. Cochlear Implant.


I don’t personally know anyone with hearing implants, but the idea of sending audio directly to the nerve that contacts the brain is really fascinating (Mayo). It’s like glasses in the sense that we’ve bypassed our natural aging process to restore one of our senses.


A pattern I’ve noticed is that there is a lot of focus on curing a disease rather than preventing it. Other than polarized sunglasses and blue light glasses, there doesn’t seem to be technology that actively prevents harm to one’s body. Polarized glasses and blue light glasses help prevent eye strain (Healthline).


Something that happened as I watched the lecture about body modification art is that I felt a little uncomfortable (Jefferies). I think that the individual reactions the artists elicit are why they do art. I respect the artists for doing that, but I could never modify my body more than getting a tattoo. 


Fig. 2 Guinness World Records. Most Body Modifications. 2020.


However, I might be a hypocrite. I go to the gym regularly and I think bodybuilding (or attempting to look aesthetically better) would be considered body modification art. There are competitions and there are judges, so I’d say it is an art form (ANI).. 




Fig 3. Muscle and Strength. 2020


I am trying to improve my physique but I don’t see it as an art form. I see it as becoming a healthier and better looking version of myself (Men's Health). Looking back, it isn’t too different from body modification art. We’re just people who want to look different and feel good while doing so.


Works Cited

ANI. "Mandeep Singh Wins North India Bodybuilding C'ship in Panchkula." ANI News, 18 Apr. 2022, 

www.aninews.in/news/sports/others/mandeep-singh-wins-north-india-bodybuilding-cship-in-panchkula20220418112358/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2022.

Jefferies, Stuart. "Orlan's Art of Sex and Surgery." The Guardian, 22 Feb. 2018, 

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jul/01/orlan-performance-artist-carnal-art. Accessed 22 Apr. 2022.

Mayo. "Cochlear Implants." Mayo Clinic, 11 Aug. 2020, 

www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cochlear-implants/about/pac-20385021.

Men's Health. "10 Reasons Why Men Who Lift Weights Make Better Humans." Men's Health, 7 Apr. 

2016, www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a755369/10-reasons-why-weightlifters

-are-better-humans/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2022.

Sutton, Jandra. "Why Polarized Lenses? Uses, Description, Benefits & Drawbacks." Healthline, 8 Feb. 

2019, www.healthline.com/health/polarized-lenses#disadvantages. Accessed 22 Apr. 2022.



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