bodyworks

Researching for a new project I'm doing I discovered the work of Marilene Oliver, an artist and researcher exploring the relationship between the newly developing digital environment and representation of the body:

"The virtual world created by the computer is one that provides no place for the physical body. As communications technology and the use of the Internet is becoming an integral part of our lives, the absence of the physical in the virtual space is destined to provoke changes in the physical body and in our relationship to it in the real world. My work centres around this relationship, seeking to explore and create ways of intimately representing the physical body."

Although the underlying motivations for the work are quite conceptual and really interesting, the physical pieces she produces use technology to produce really beautiful installation type displays, all focussing around depictions of the human form, and often using MRI scanning to produce sculptures which appear in slices. I really like this idea of collections of different things, or slices which on their own would mean nothing, but when pieced together create an interesting image or creation. I also think it would be really interesting to see how products could be developed around some of the ideas and technology here.