The Scientific Esthetic

Nowadays, science and art tend to be seen as two separate enterprises, with their respective means and ends. In earlier civilizations, however, the scientist and the artist were often the same person. Art and science were two complimentary sources at which one could quench ones thirst for understanding and knowledge.
The photographs presented here are part of a larger project where the human body becomes the primary focus. The attempt is to go beyond the mere description of physical characteristics and reveal something of the inner functions of our organism.

The series illustrate the trend in photography and other media to use the human body as a source of material for artistic creation. Some critics have referred to this endeavor as “Genetic esthetic”, given the influence of current research in the human genome, but one could see it as the result of a profound and broader impact of scientific representation of the body an all layer of society.
The human body has, for long, lost its quality of sacred entity: undoubtedly the body has retain some of its symbolism, but it has become increasingly irrelevant to ignore the biology of our organism to concentrate on the romantic appeal of the flesh. Scientific investigation has reached the most remote places of our being; one can observe the activity of a living brain, today no aspect of our genetic coding is left unknown.
Science has changed the way we look at the world both around us and within us, this work takes part in the search for an esthetic to communicate these changes.

When exploring this page, please click on the images below if you would like to have access to the respective galleries.

These photographs emphasize the importance of the skin; its characteristics, a representation of our uniqueness. It is the shell that protects our flesh and organs from disease, the membrane through which our body breathes and rids itself of toxins. Without this protective layer, our organism simply couldn’t function. To serve its purpose, the skin continuously renews itself: cells are produced to replace old ones; they themselves age and die. This cycle happens throughout our life, from conception to death. Through the photographic process, I was able to capture a remnant of this invisible activity.

Designed as a pseudo-scientific experiment, the series was a way to evoke the similarities between artistic and scientific inquiry. It takes the form of a triptych. Each panel is made up of sixteen photographs, recording the events in one dimension of space. The individual elements measure 10 x 11 in. for the central panel, and 10 x 14 in. for the side panels. The central panel measures approximately 50 x 55 in. and the side panels 50 x 65 in.

Left exposed to air, blood undergoes a succession of reactions. The photographs illustrate its progressive decay. The series is made up of 5 images, which are subtitled : fresh, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month. Each photo measures 10 x 44 in.

Under the action of heat, blood breaks down. Components evaporate, eventually leaving behind the basic constituent of all organic matter, carbon. the series is made up of six 20 x 20 in. photographs following the evolution of the experiment.

 

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My Naked Self

Hair might be dismissed as unattractive or valued as a sign of virility; whatever esthetical view one holds on hair, it is an essential component of a human being. Hair grows across all areas of the body regardless of sex or race, with the exception of a few zones: the lips, the nipples, the palms of the hands, the sole of the feet and the navel. It creates patterns that are functions of the role it has to play, from insulation to protection.

The human body needs salt in order to survive. It is an important component of vital fluids such as blood and sweat; it is present everywhere in the body and takes parts in the functioning of these essential entities that cells are. In these photographs, salt comes to life in the form of simple organisms.

These are photographs of a breath. In cold weather, the difference of temperature between the body and the air causes the water vapor in the breath to condensate and become observable. Just as an example, on an average fall day, a person loses 3-4 cups of water through breathing. Excretion of water through breathing and sweating is a way to control body temperature.

Through breathing one provides oxygen to organs and muscles and gets rid of CO2 created by the organism. There is a substantial difference between the CO2 content of human breath and the air. 0.03% of the air we breath is made up of CO2, whereas 5 % of the air we exhale is made up of CO2. There are certain chemicals that can be used to detect the presence of Carbon Dioxyde. When one breathes through a solution of these chemicals, it is possible to visualize dramatic changes in the liquid due to the reactions between its components and the Carbon dioxide content of our beath.