View Upon the Body
As an overture to an exhibition about the history of forensic medicine, visitors first encounter a draped body on an examining table backed by a floor-to-ceiling video projection.
Over the centuries, physicians, surgeons, and other professionals have struggled to develop scientific methods that translate views of bodies and body parts into “visible proofs” that can persuade judges, juries, and the public to take them as evidential facts. The rich motion graphics in this large-scale video projection blend shadow play and archival imagery to conjure the many scenes, specialists, and phases a body goes through to make that visible proof. The shadows of medical examiners in the video blend with the real shadows of passing visitors, helping fuel curiosity and wonder as the exhibition begins.