Week 4: MedTech + Art

In her article, "MRI as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations Between Science and the Arts," Silvia Casini discusses her first-person experience of undergoing an MRI scan, and how this ultimately inspired her to conduct her own research on the "technical and metaphorical configurations of the elements" present in the MRI laboratory. This actually reminded me of the time I, myself, had to undergo an MRI scan when my doctor suspected that I was suffering from TMJ, a type of disorder that affects the movement of one's jaw joint. I must admit that I was a bit nervous during the first-half of the procedure. The first thing the nurses told me was, "Stay completely still." This made me even more anxious, as I kept thinking to myself repeatedly, "What if I accidentally move at some point?!" Fortunately, the entire scan went smoothly. 

Closed MRI
"MRI Machine." HealthCentral, https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/back-pain/magnetic-resonance-imaging-mri. 

Our class discussion of MRI, along with my personal experience, strongly encouraged me to do some research on MRI scan art. Now, to be quite honest, I wasn't exactly sure if such a thing actually existed. But I decided to try to do some research on the subject anyway! After doing some exploration, I ended up finding multiple stories discussing how many people have come to embrace their MRI brain scan results as works of art. For example, one woman named Elizabeth Jameson began using a technique known as Solarplate etching to convert the black-and-white images of her brain into colorful silk paintings and unique self-portraits. Jameson's goal was to motivate others to find beauty in their medical images, rather than view them as frightening reminders of their illnesses. 


"Self Portrait of the Artist's Brain 2," a sagittal MRI view of the artist's brain.
"Self-Portrait of Artist's Brain." HuffPost,  
                                 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elizabeth-jameson-brain-scan-art_n_57bb61cbe4b0b51733a521fc.

Furthermore, mixed-media artist Lindsey Holcomb has sold close to 200 re-interpreted versions of brain scans since 2019. Holcomb was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2017. Although Holcomb initially faced great difficulty in accepting her diagnosis, she eventually came to view her MRI results as a "source of artistic inspiration" (Miller). Similar to Jameson, Holcomb took the colorless scans of her brain and redrew them in a way that ultimately allowed them to become much more meaningful and reflective of her personality. Holcomb began to share her creations on social media, eventually leading to the creation of "Colors of MS," a social art project that has inspired individuals all around the globe! 

Colors of MS| Multiple Sclerosis News Today | Lindsey Holcomb | artistic rendering of brain MRI
"Artistic Interpretation of Holcomb's Brain." MSNewsToday, https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/news-posts/2022/03/29/artist-multiple-sclerosis-finds-beauty-individuality-mri-brain-scans/. 




Works Cited:

1.) Brooks, Katherine. "A Woman with MS is Turning Her Own Brain Scans Into Art." HuffPost, 

            https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elizabeth-jameson-brain-scan-art_n_57bb61cbe4b0b51733a521fc. 

            Accessed April 28, 2023. 


2.) Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) As Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations 


            between Science and the Arts.” Configurations, pp. 73-99, The Johns Hopkins University Press,

        

             2011.     

             


3.) Hartman, Shelby. “Kaleidoscopic MRI Art Brings Beauty to Neurological Illness.” Vice, 


            https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgpda8/kaleidoscopic-mri-multiple-sclerosis-portraits. Accessed


            April 28, 2023. 

    


4.) MacCormick, Holly. “Patient advocate uses MRI scans to create art and spark conversations about life 


               with illness.” Stanford University, https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2018/10/16/patient-advocate-


               uses-mri-scans-to-create-art-and-spark-conversations-about-life-with-illness/. Accessed April 

            

               27, 2023. 



5.) Miller, Hawken. “Artist With MS Finds Beauty, Individuality in MRI Brain Scans.” Multiple Sclerosis 


               News Today, https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/news-posts/2022/03/29/artist-multiple-


               sclerosis-finds-beauty-individuality-mri-brain-scans/. Accessed April 28, 2023. 



6.) “Spotlight: The Art of MRI.” SciArt Magazine, https://www.sciartmagazine.com/spotlight-the-art-of-


                mri.html. April 27, 2023. 


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