Biometric trails of nonhuman environments. Medical imaging of plants’ bodies in bio-artistic projects.
Biometric trails of nonhuman environments. Medical imaging of plants’ bodies in bio-artistic projects.

Author(s): Ewelina Twardoch-Raś
Subject(s): Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Film / Cinema / Cinematography
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego
Keywords: body; affect; posthumanism; medical imaging; biometrics; plants; non-human actors
Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to introduce the problem of plants’ representations in the contemporary artistic projects based on medical imaging. The author analyses the problem in the perspective of posthumanistic philosophy, especially in reference to the theories of animal studies (Wolfe, Bakoff, Waldau). She also introduces the concept of Michael Marder, who builds his argument around the question of whether people are the only ones who have political, social and ethical rights. The second part of the article concerns strategies and method of plants’ bodies parametrization used in the selected artistic project. The author presents a few of them to show how artists investigate the problem of identity, autonomy and agency of non-human beings, with special regard to plants. The projects are analyzed in reference to various theories of connections between human and non-human beings, as well as to biopolitics’ strategies.

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