Seeing me: the role of transparent bodies in the medical consultation

The role of the somatic body as a physical and visceral object is waning within thehistory of medical consultations. Once holding centre-stage in the communication between doctor and patient, today this body has been transformed into disembodied artefacts, such as x-rays and magnetic resonance images (MRIs), which aim to increase an understanding of ‘what is happening’ within our bodies. However, since the interpretation of such images is restricted to the trained eye of the medical practitioner they can remain inaccessible to the patient who is being asked by the health professional to understand (potential) changes in ‘their body’ and make treatment decisions. Responding to an invitation to ‘improve the realism’ of MRIs and develop a communication tool with patients, a 3D CGI artist reframed the question and explored an alternative approach that aimed to return the poetics to the human anatomy. Through focusing on one artist’s practice, this paper explores two key questions surrounding the ‘integrity’ of these 3D images within the clinical context: 1) How far can/should the artist reinterpret the original MRI to develop a suitable communication tool for patients within the consultation? and 2) What is the role of the artist in the design process