Art & Medicine Archive – 2015
December 6, 2015
Unorthodox Anatomy
by Ellen Cantor
“Unorthodox Anatomy is my attempt to make sense of what was happening to my spine based on my limited knowledge of anatomy.
As a photographer, I had been used to photographing landscapes, trees and flowers while carrying a heavy camera and tripod. Suddenly, I was having difficulty walking and could no longer carry heavy equipment. After visiting several doctors, I understood that I needed surgery, but I was unclear what my spine really looked like. Each time I received a new diagnosis, I tried to picture what it actually meant. Being in denial, I never went to the internet, but instead let my mind clarify this disabling problem.
When I was told that I had scoliosis, was out of alignment and degenerating, among other things, I started to picture my body as organic materials such as fruits and vegetables and the screws and rods and cages that would be placed inside of me as items from Home Depot.
Through allusion and metaphor, I am addressing the issues of pain, aging, the possibility of death and the options for living with titanium screws and plates and cages implanted within one’s body.”
The Unorthodox Anatomy Art Viewing and Discussion was held on December 6, 2015 at noon.
October 18, 2015
Shared Matter: Sharing Art, Lungs, & Social Media
by Dominic Quagliozzi
Dominic Quagliozzi’s work incorporates aspects of his life as a Cystic Fibrosis patent and repeated hospital visitor, much of that spent at the Cystic Fibrosis Center at USC.
“My goal is to make work that fosters an open dialogue for an empathetic exchange surrounding illness and disease. Using situations within my life as starting points for reflection, I make work that brings into focus the nature of disability and societal implications of illness.”
Through the visual literacy of artists who have dealt with the disabled, deformed and disfigured body, I track the ebb and flow of my own nature and denatured body. Making the work is not the only important aspect to my process; creating a mood and a psychological state, creating agency within the greater dialogue and allowing for active conversation within a larger audience completes the feedback cycle so inherent in my work.”
The Shared Matter: Sharing Art, Lungs, & Social Media Art Viewing and Discussion was held on October 18, 2015 at noon, followed by a reception at 5pm.