Media and the Body

While I'm sure this is the obvious pick for a number of students, the Bodies Exhibition is, to me, a perfect representation of how media and the body relate. Not far from ballet, this bizarre post-exhumation and public display of people after death gives us a personal look at the literal insides of people while the world reacts to it all. The virtual statues of the men, women, and children have been the subject of both praise and anger, with indifference being less common a reaction than either. These figures, a blend of art, science, and philosophy, are also at the mercy of those who wouldn't want any body to be contorted and disfigured to be put in headlights, so to speak, as well as the families of the deceased being used, who, if I'm remembering correctly, have made claims that these bodies were not consenting to this kind of appearance before death. To that end, this is also a political ordeal, a religious upset, a question of morality, and a big vs. small phenomena. Is it okay to deface and manipulate someone who had no say in a matter if this person isn't even living? Especially considering the benefit of being able to explore the body (as a student, as a teacher, as a doctor, etc)? Does the end justify the means? in a nutshell. I'm pressed to say that the human body has been of so much controversy, especially through the lens of media, which is why I've chose this project as a representation.