Wear Your Fear, 2018
Bioimaging is not about reproducing, but depicting reality with a specific meaning. For centuries our eye has been trained to look at images based on certain rules, with an image perception typical of our culture. Common man interprets and perceives the biomedical visualizations as traditional images and therefore, despite their testimonial value, they remain a composition of colors and abstraction. New technologies have formed medicine into an image science, but as in early physics, our internal microscopic elements are disconnected from all bodily and social contexts.
The most likely individual threat in the western world is undeniable cancer. With the development of global industry and growing ages, the risk to die from cancer is growing worldwide. Most people today have some kind of relation to or experience from the disease. But what does cancer look like? What happens to our perception of the self, our body and the disease when we interpret visualizations of cancer? What meanings do we apply to the images when they are "embodied”?
With the help of Turku Bioimaging network, the artist collected scientific visualizations of cancer cells and cancer tissues. She then processed the visualizations, laid out patterns and printed the images on fabric, which she sew into garments. The pieces of clothing form the exhibition's installation.
The visualizations have been produced by scientists Guillaume Jacquemet, Annele Sainio and Terhi Helenius. Joanna Pylvänäinen and Inga Pukonen have helped in collecting the material. Information on researcher, instrument and purpose is found on each garments waistband. The artist Sade Kahra consulted former cancer patients and experts in cancer work during different phases of the project.
The works have been shown at Gallery TILA in Helsinki, at Preus National Museum of Photography in Horten, Norway and in Turku at the symposium "Seeing the Invisible" at BioCity in Kupittaa. A short interview documentary was made in connection to the exhibition at White Box Gallery in Jakobstad 2021. Youtube link to the video.
Bioimaging is not about reproducing, but depicting reality with a specific meaning. For centuries our eye has been trained to look at images based on certain rules, with an image perception typical of our culture. Common man interprets and perceives the biomedical visualizations as traditional images and therefore, despite their testimonial value, they remain a composition of colors and abstraction. New technologies have formed medicine into an image science, but as in early physics, our internal microscopic elements are disconnected from all bodily and social contexts.
The most likely individual threat in the western world is undeniable cancer. With the development of global industry and growing ages, the risk to die from cancer is growing worldwide. Most people today have some kind of relation to or experience from the disease. But what does cancer look like? What happens to our perception of the self, our body and the disease when we interpret visualizations of cancer? What meanings do we apply to the images when they are "embodied”?
With the help of Turku Bioimaging network, the artist collected scientific visualizations of cancer cells and cancer tissues. She then processed the visualizations, laid out patterns and printed the images on fabric, which she sew into garments. The pieces of clothing form the exhibition's installation.
The visualizations have been produced by scientists Guillaume Jacquemet, Annele Sainio and Terhi Helenius. Joanna Pylvänäinen and Inga Pukonen have helped in collecting the material. Information on researcher, instrument and purpose is found on each garments waistband. The artist Sade Kahra consulted former cancer patients and experts in cancer work during different phases of the project.
The works have been shown at Gallery TILA in Helsinki, at Preus National Museum of Photography in Horten, Norway and in Turku at the symposium "Seeing the Invisible" at BioCity in Kupittaa. A short interview documentary was made in connection to the exhibition at White Box Gallery in Jakobstad 2021. Youtube link to the video.