The second module of the Media Culture programme was introduced with Bruno Latour’s text on a phenomenon of “circulating reference”. Latour notes that in real life one never goes directly from a referent to a sign, since there is always a transitional way to overhaul. Personal experience, acquired in the “skills training” sessions, helped to understand the substantiality of empirical process in scientific discourse.
The conception of objectivity had been discussed in relation to scientific (anatomical) representations throughout several historical stages. Anatomical depictions in the sixteenth century (“truth to nature” period) had a different characterization of and insight on objectivity (where Vesalius described his practice as “opera manus”) from the one in the nineteenth century (“mechanical objectivity”) where the machine was believed to portray the undeniable “truth”. Although means of depiction of the body might have changed, the chain of reference still stands.
The shift from the scientist as a genius (depicting metaphysical images) to a manufacturer (mechanical illustrations) to a trained expert (interpreting the images) has approached the digital era where scientific objectivity has obtained another (?) embodiment.
Reviewing different periods of scientific illustration and varying perceptions on objectivity it has become obvious that objectivity can be analysed from diverse perspectives subject to each period. Still and all, it is evident that the subjective scientists’ intervention in scientific illustration (or reconstruction) is unavoidable (be it retouching to eliminate the “noise” or adjusting the “readability” of the illustration for the desirable target audience).
If in the era of “mechanical objectivity” it was believed that “photographs speak for themselves”, images in the digital era are not sufficient in themselves – additional explanation is inevitable to understand the uncanny imagery (e.g. CT, MRI, PET images).
“The body: an interface” module was an interesting approach on scientific research conception, which will certainly assist in carrying out the final MA project.