I have been fascinated by the art-science exhibition Breathing Bodies since I first discovered it. It uses medical imaging to let us view our anatomy in a very engaging way and can be viewed at different locations around Aberdeen until the 22nd of November.
We’re lucky to have part of the exhibition right on our doorstep. On King’s campus, Première Intimité de L’être (which translates to ‘Primary Intimacy of Being’) can be viewed in King’s College Conference Centre and the Students’ Union Building. The exhibition is also available at Foresterhill in the Suttie Centre. It appears as a rectangular black box with swirling multi-colours, and when someone steps in front of it, a human avatar of the observer materialises out of the colours, reflecting their anatomy to them. As the viewer moves their limbs, so too does the avatar. This anatomy mirror uses position emission tomography (PET), a functional imaging approach, and has sensors. It permits gender recognition, and a PET body shows the viewer’s reflection to them.
Tout Passe (translated as ‘Everything Goes’) is situated at the Aberdeen Art Gallery. This part of the exhibition also shows the viewer their reflection but focuses specifically on their lungs, beating heart, and circulating blood. It displays the motion of air travelling through the viewer’s body, and what a person sees as they stand in front of it is impacted by the rhythm of their breathing. It is described as a ‘behavioural work’ in the exhibit guide provided on the University of Aberdeen website. It is noteworthy that this part of the exhibition highlights our breathing because it is a bodily function that we rarely acknowledge; we can inhale and exhale up to 10,000 litres of air per day without even thinking about it! I enjoyed standing in front of it and breathing deeply to see what changes I could observe in my reflected image.
Some context about the project as a whole: Breathing Bodies is part of a project called V|LF-Spiro3D Work Package 4 (WP4), which is coordinated by Xavier Maître from L’Université Paris-Saclay. The research takes place in Paris, Rotterdam, and Aberdeen, and WP4 is funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC). The artwork also receives support from Innovate UK. According to the exhibition guide on the University of Aberdeen website, the purpose of the project is to support ‘the philosophical and social studies on the objectivation and alienation of 3D MR spirometry in the experience of patients and practitioners. It takes the research out of the clinic and into public spaces.’
I have been getting so much enjoyment from having this exhibit in Aberdeen, trying it out and encouraging my friends and family to do so as well. It is a fantastic and accessible way to encourage people’s interest in their own anatomy. I will be sad to see it go, and personally, I would love to keep Première Intimité de L’être on campus forever!
