Gunther Von Hagen’s
A scientist rather than an artist, but his work still has an artistic quality to it in the way he portrays his “subjects.”
Hagen’s developed a technique called “plasticization”, to put it simply it is where you take all of the water out of a dead specimen and replace it with a liquid polymer using the density rule (where with two cells, if one is full and the other empty the liquid will move to create an equal density over both cells) .
The liquid polymer is then hardened under a uv light creating a specimen that is preserved indefinitely, and yet the skin muscles and flesh behaves as if it were alive.
But Hagen’s took this to another level, he started using human bodies that had been donated to him by the owner, and stripping back the flesh skin and bones, creating scientific exhibitions teaching the public about the human autonomy in a way never done before.
Now here’s my problem with it, he calls himself a scientist but if you look at his work and the way he portrays the specimens it is more like an art piece, playing poker, having sex, sitting on a swing, are not ways you would portray a scientific specimen.
He has influenced my work through my interest of science and the human body, the way it moves, acts, reacts and copes with everyday life.
an interesting insight into the thoughts and work behind hagens work
