EVENT 3 | WE ARE ALL LIVING IN THE ESTROWORLD | 🧬

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to hear Mary Maggic present their work. Mary Maggic is a nonbinary artist whose art is inspired by the intersection of hormones, gender politics, and the body (BioArt Talks). As Maggic explained, their art is centered around bringing attention to molecular biopowers that influence how society is structured today, specifically in the field of gender. This study is known as“Estroworld”, as Maggic coined it. I highly recommend this event to anyone who would love to learn about the relationship between hormones and gender in an artistic presentation. 

One specific work Maggic presented was the process of “hormone hacking”. In this process, Maggic extracts hormones by filtering out hormones from a collective urine sample. In her artistic study, Maggic researches the presence of hormones in urine, specifically estrogen. Pictured is a screenshot of their lab work and the messiness of the work which Maggic refers to as an artwork (Maggic)!

Hormone hacking & the messiness accompanied by it

Moreover, below you will find a screenshot of one of their artworks called, Mandala. It was very fascinating to learn that a mandala is a symbol that represented peaceful existence in chaos. Though the geometric design is constructed by various bright and maximal-looking different plastic items, there is sadly a normalized existence of plastic in our water and nature. 

Mandala by Mary Maggic

It was very interesting to think about how the usage of technological tools when working with medical science was once deemed something that would not consider a person a medical expert. As Vesna mentioned in this week’s lecture, though medicine was considered art, the usage of technology was disconnected from the medical field (Vesna). Mary Maggic, on the contrary, uses technology and tools to research and observe hormones and to create their art. Moreover, when students begin their journey as medical practitioners, traditionally, they are required to follow the disciplinary proceedings established and recited in the Hippocratic oath. Future doctors are pushed to recite the line,"[...]there is art to medicine as well as science [...]" (Tyson). 

Though ages ago the usage of technology and tools were once deemed as something against the medical field, this event allowed me to see an example of how the incorporation of technological tools is now embraced in both the medical field and art, especially in the 21st century where technology is super integrated into every aspect of our lives!

Screenshot of the registration email (confirmation of attendance)

Citation

BioArt Talks. “We're All Living in the Estroworld.” The Sanctuary For Independent Media, BioArt Talks @CBIS, 2022, www.mediasanctuary.org/event/were-all-living-in-the-estroworld/.

Maggic, Mary. “We are all living in the Estroworld.” BioArt Talks @CBIS, 22 April 2022, Vienna. Lecture. 

Tyson, Peter. “The Hippocratic Oath Today.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Mar. 2001.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine and Art: Part 2." Lecture. 25 Oct. 2012,  UCLA, Los Angeles, California. Class lecture.