The dissection: An examination of the printmaking tradition as a means to reconsider the relationship between the human body and its representation

My work is informed by the identification of the body as a site of anxiety. Computer technologies have led to increased disembodiment, while AIDS has reinforced awareness of the body as physically vulnerable. The basic premise governing my dissertation is that the body of the individual has become a collection of parts - fragmented by its representation. More specifically, I have referred to medical illustration and its role in the objectification and abstraction of the body. In revisualising the image of the body I have chosen to work within a formally fragmented framework. My title, The Dissection, refers to an intrusion into the body, that has as its aim the extraction of knowledge: it is about revealing the unseen. It also relates directly to my working method, which isolates, cuts and sews images. My source materials are medical engravings derived from eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century medical atlases. As these references form part of the history and technology of printing, my project has been to recontextualise these images within the tradition of printmaking. This has resulted in technical innovations becoming a significant part of the work's content. The first part of this paper deals with the assertion that medical illustration constructs the body as an .object. I refer to Barthes in assessing the notion of authorship, and discuss alternative theories of the subjective construction of the body. Having established the body as object, I consider the influence of illustration on the perception of the body. I then examine the influence of illustration on theories of biological determinism, and identify the implications of these theoretical concerns for the body as art object. The second part of the paper situates my work within the context of printmaking. I draw parallels between the printed body and collage, and mention my use of format and the multiple in an interpretation of the body. The final section makes specific reference to my body of work.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Michaelis School of Fine Art

Year dc:date.issued

1995

Author dc:creator

• Langerman, Fritha

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Payne, Malcolm
• Skotnes, Pippa

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18315

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/18315