Transparent Bodies: The Cultural Implications of Medical Imaging

From the discovery of X-rays at the end of the nineteenth century to contemporary developments in image processing and artificial intelligence, medical imaging has profoundly reshaped scientific knowledge and cultural imaginaries, influencing how we understand the human body and the human condition.

Through an audiovisual journey across historical and contemporary images, medical illustrations, films, artworks, and medical imaging materials, the session explores how technologies designed to reveal the body's interior have inspired new artistic practices, cultural narratives, and ways of imagining human experience. Visual material will serve as the starting point for dialogue, inviting participants to play an active role through their observations, questions, and reflections. Together, they will explore the cultural implications of medical imaging and contribute to a shared discussion on how technologies of vision have transformed our understanding of ourselves.

The session will be led by Marta Porta-Vilaró, a radiologist, researcher, and multidisciplinary practitioner working at the intersection of medicine, humanities, and the arts. Drawing on her experience in diagnostic imaging, cultural research, and artistic practice, she will guide participants through a reflection on how medical technologies have shaped both scientific knowledge and cultural understandings of the body. The audiovisual materials presented during the workshop have been developed in collaboration with Alberto Velasco, who contributed to the editing and production of the audiovisual content.