LO-05: Human After All

Human After All is a series of photographs that depict everyday people through their circulatory systems. A collaboration between photographer Jan Kriwol and Markos Kay – a digital 3D graphics bio-artist and programmer, these photographs not only explore the interaction between the fragile human body and its rigid environment but also challenge our exterior differences (ie. our skin color) by stripping the subject down to the barebones of human anatomy. This very subject matter is exactly what I admire about this series of work- deep inside, our bodies are so simple and similar, yet so complex. To generate this work, Markos Kay implemented an algorithm that generated 3D circulatory veins and arteries within the constraints of the human body as well as the given environment – this likely involved the use of 3D interactive programming software such as unreal engine and, on the backend, code that mimicked the way our veins spread within our bodies, repeating itself as it generated random patterns that simulated the flow of blood. Markos Kay’s works often blur the lines between art and functional science; Human After All demonstrates this very skill.

Human After All, Jan Kriwol & Markos Kay, 2017