Alum Debuts Video at the International Museum of Surgical Science

Vincent Tiley's (MFA 2013) new video installation, Material Eyes, was recently on display in the third-floor screening room of the International Museum of Surgical Science. The video, shot by Fred Attenborough and scored by Sam Hurt, depicts the artist hooked up to a robotic surgical system that is operated by his mother; raising questions about the intervention of technology on the human body, and disrupting traditional conceptions of the maternal bond.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Tiley acknowledges the influence of science-fiction films on his work, but explains that the initial impetus for this work came from his mother, a gynecological surgeon, who frequently uses machines like the one shown in Material Eyes. He states, “It was from a point in my studio practice in which I was reflecting on how technology is used in society and the space that takes up in relationships and trying to create situations in which that space is problematized or not used correctly, and this collaboration is about touch with my mother, who’s doing it through a surgical robot.”