The 'Improved' Body: animals & humans

The 'Improved' Body: animals & humans

Vol 22 no 1, 2002


The implications of the new biotechnology for the human body and for the future of the species is visualised. Recent revelations that genetic makeup of animals is much closer to humans than was previously thought and possibilitues of trans-species hybridity is no longer just the stuff of myth or science fiction. Artists ask: how do we feel about becoming even closer to the animals we share the planet with? Current trends in surgery for transgender and cosmetic changes challenge notions of bodily identity. Writers include WJT Mitchell (Chicago) on Biocybernetics, George Alexander on Julie Rrap, Victoria Ryan on cosmetic surgery and art, Jane Goodall on Ella Dreyfus, Bronwyn Platten on bestiality, Anne Quain on transgenic pets.Also beautifully illustrated features on the works of Monika Tichacek, Sharon Goodwin, Michele Barker, Lynne Roberts-Goodwin, Juan Ford, Stelarc, Ionat Zurr and Oron Catts, Ray Cook, Helen Kundicevic, John Kelly, Jane Trengove, Stephen Holland and Tiffany Parbs.


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You are here » Artlink » Vol 22 no 1, 2002 » Willing Tenants: Ella Dreyfus and her Models

Willing Tenants: Ella Dreyfus and her Models

Author: Dr Jane Goodall, feature

This article looks at the work of Ella Dreyfus. Her work, she says, is not just about how bodies may look, but 'about who we are and how people feel in their bodies'. Her models make powerful statements about this, through their images and occasionally, in verbal form. Her concern is with the present and actual state of the body, with all its complex and detailed evidence of the life cycle. Recently her focus has been on the aged body and the succession of new experiences that come as a result of living with a growing body.



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