HUMAN BIOMETRY PROJECT

ABSTRACT

The artist Chng Nai Wee has embarked on an on-going comprehensive measurement and documentation of his biochemical activities, physiological processes, and anatomical structures. This include volumetric measurements of structures, and functional assessments of muscular power, joint range of movement, and responsiveness of reflexes. The project will be classified in categories: biochemical tests, physiologic recordings, and photographic and computer generated scans of his internal organs. Instead of defining himself by experience, achievements, education, personality, character, or wealth, the artist is defining himself as a series of numbers that depict his total biochemical activity, a collection of graphs that depict his total physiological activity, and an array of anatomical cross-sections and reconstructions that depict his total structural being.

The artist aims to culminate his human biometry project with the analysis of his genetic DNA constitution, and on his demise, aims for appointed third parties to continue relevant investigations to complete the analysis and documentation. The artist treats him as an object of scientific inquiry and experimentation, and as an artistic medium for discourse.

The artist aims to highlight that in the genomic century, humans will be increasingly defined in terms of their biological constitution and effectiveness. Through Science, Man will objectively assess the human individual by way of a barrage of medical tests, and accurately predict the potential of the human individual. Whether the human civilization that evolves by way of competitive survival of the fittest will use these information to aid or to abandon the disadvantaged individual is a matter of ethical concern.

CONCEPT

To discuss the emerging notion that the human individual is the operative translation of his genetic code by deconstructing and depicting a model human individual, the artist, comprehensively in terms of his biometry - biochemical activity, physiological performance, and anatomical structures - by installing an exhibition comprising of classifications and lists of biochemistry values, physiological graphs, and anatomical reconstructions.

TECHNOLOGY

The exhibition involves a series of sculptural and relief metallic panels, light-boxes and multi-media projectors that will display static, dynamic, and interactive images and sound. The part works constitute the whole exhibition, the sub-ultimate artwork, secondary to the human individual, the ultimate work of art.

CONCEPTUAL PROCESS

The artist will classify and list the different biomedical tests in biochemistry, physiology, and anatomy. For instance, in the realm of biochemical activity lies the electrolytes, metabolites, and blood counts, in the realm of physiological activity lies the electroencephalogram, visual evoked potential, and the echo-cardiogram, and in the realm of anatomical reconstructions lies the state-of-the-art computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and radio-nuclide scans. These are a few of the biometry tests. The artist, shall in his role as a medical doctor, speak to the executive members of the hospital and arrange for the comprehensive series of tests and scans, which shall serve as raw data and materials for the art-making process. Since some of the tests are carry an element of risk to grievous injury to the body, the artist reserves the right to postpone some of the tests indefinitely.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

The artist will collate his biochemical results and have these results engraved on cold clinical metallic panels, akin to the hieroglyphics in ancient Egyptian stones. The metallic panels are displayed in a scientifically rigorous grid array. A series of DNA analysis of the artist will be mounted on wall displays. The artist will collates his physiological readings, interpret the readings, and graphically represent them with a dynamic wall projection. The artist will collate his anatomical scans, interpret and reassemble, digitally enhance, and digitally reproduce them in Durachrome productions lit by light-boxes. The psychological and psychiatric assessments of the artist are reproduced in a running script projected on the wall. The artist will have the exterior of his body photographed so that parallel comparisons can be made to the scans. The artist shall collaborate with professional light-box constructors, multi-media designers, panel engravers, and photographers to produce each work.

DISPLAY

The artist builds a model of the exhibition space. He will computer generate the internal space of the exhibition space, and demonstrate the spatial relations between installed wall works, such as image projections, and the sculptural works, such as floor-mounted two-way light-boxes.

CONTINUITY

The exhibition can travel to different indoor locations around the globe.

DOCUMENTATION

The artist enlists a photographer to document the project in large format prints, to archive the project in high-resolution digital photographic and video prints. The artist will work with the exhibition space vendor to produce a simple catalogue.

DATA SAMPLES