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03.24.08

Fetal Teddy Bears & Dream Anatomy

Ziya Tong by Ziya Tong     Department: Health & Life Sciences

Ever wondered where teddy bears come from? Ok, to be honest, neither had I. But felt artist Stephanie Metz has certainly given some thought to the development of animals in the womb. In her Genus Ursulus project she examines the anatomy of the imaginary:

The genus name Ursulus comes from the Latin 'small bear'. Using a variety of store-bought teddy bears as 'species' source material, I am reverse-engineering what their skulls look like and the differences and similarities between 'breeds.' My approach is to make up evidence and document, present, and interpret that evidence in a formal manner.

Teddy-Fetal-Development.jpg
(image via NotCot)
It may seem odd to us today, but this play on "formality" and fantasy is where anatomists actually got their start. According to Dream Anatomy, a site that explores the history of medical illustrations, early drawings were rife with embellishments. "Artists did not just record anatomical reality: they dramatized, travestied, beautified, and moralized it. The gulf between illustration and real life was vast."  In fact, it wasn't until around the 1700's that these fantastical elements were finally dissected from the medical picture, and the focus shifted to finding new standards of accuracy.

Today though - whether it's skull rings or Body Worlds - we're seeing medical art and illustration re-enter the popular imagination. Some of the best of it can be found at Vanessa Ruiz's Street Anatomy blog where she's got a great compilation on anatomical design that covers everything from tattoos, to street art to cartoons.

hyungkoolee.jpg
(Bugs Bunny Lepus Animatus by Hyungkoo Lee) 


Tags: anatomy, animal development, art, physiology, science, Ziya Tong