CARDIO 2021 COLLECTION. Disease, life and other conditions.
1. CARDIO.
The heart has always been culturally associated with a multiplicity of meanings: life-giving organ, vitality, abode of the soul, source of emotions or seat of truthfulness, among others.
The autonomy of the heart has always been surrounded by mystery, which accelerates during emotions or stops when life is extinguished. The heart does not have a conclusion or an end, no one can encompass it in all its forms, no one can close it in a concept or a metaphor, it is always open to evolution.
The heart is always manifesting itself, expressing again, always eternal. The heart elaborates the world in another way, and it is that way and space where we need to learn to live, both for the good, and the not so good.
2. MR HEART.
Artwork based on the middle-range theory (Merle Mishel), which evaluates the reactions that people have to illness, whether it is their own or that of a loved one, and for which it conceptualises the level of uncertainty in the face of illness.
The inability of the person to determine the meaning of events related to the illness, being unable to give definite values to objects or events and therefore unable to predict outcomes; this phenomenon is motivated by a lack of information and/or knowledge. If the event is effectively evaluated, then adaptation will occur. The difficulty of adaptation will depend on the ability of the collected strategies to manipulate the uncertainty in the desired direction, either to maintain it, if it is valued as an opportunity, or to reproduce it, if it is valued as a hazard. Also, the theory can be used in a wide range of possibilities, as both the sick person and his or her family members face stressful situations that generate uncertainty.
3. REANIMATION.
Artwork based on cardiorespiratory arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, where memory episodes and elements related to testimonies and near-death experiences are combined, such as emptiness, calm, intense light, but, above all, this composition is based on life, the fight, the return and the reconciliation with oneself.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers have proven their effectiveness over the years and are responsible for the decrease in deaths from respiratory arrest. Thanks to the semiautomatic defibrillator devices, it is possible to act within five minutes, something essential not only to save the life of the patient but also to accelerate recovery and prevent the after-effects of these attacks, especially neurological ones.
4. DIPLOPÍA.
Echocardiography can be used to detect whether the heart muscle is moving normally and to measure the volume of blood pumped with each heartbeat. The procedure can also detect abnormalities in the structure of the heart, such as heart valve defects, congenital abnormalities and increased thickness of the heart walls or chambers. It is widely used in cardiology today. Ultrasound allows us to see the heart, its muscle, its function, its valves.
It has been a long time since these examinations have been performed, and there have also been many fantasies about them. One of them is that the heart is a universe, a milky way where, like Newton, we measure forces, accelerations, masses and orbits. But they are also somewhat astrologers and clairvoyants, as they write reports in secret languages that, on many occasions, can predict the destiny and future of many patients.
This artwork is called Diplopia (momentary loss of vision; double vision; strabismus) with the intention of interpreting or capturing the instant in which a patient is diagnosed with a heart disease and his vision of the world, his dreams, his priorities and his conception of existence are drastically bifurcated.
5. CARDIOPATHY.
This artwork represents the trade-off between implantation of a defibrillator pacemaker (ICD) and how it can affect the psychological well-being of carrier patients in various ways.
ICD shocks are unexpected and painful, and are associated with fear and uncertainty, which can negatively affect the patient, suffering limitations in their lifestyle and even being considered a threat to their survival.
However, they can also produce the opposite effect in some patients and their families, by providing a sense of security against the possibility of experiencing a cardiac arrest or a serious consequence of a ventricular arrhythmia.
As a result, the patient's decision to accept the implantation of a defibrillator pacemaker could be seen as the trade-off between choosing a quick, painless death and a slow, uncomfortable death, which represents a complex emotional and intellectual process.
The true prevalence of specific psychological disorders among patients with ICD is unknown and the degree to which the ICD itself alters the psychological state of the patient is controversial.
6. HEART ATTACK.
Pressure; oppression; pain; compression sensation; chest/arm/neck/neck/jaw/back pain; nausea; indigestion; stomach pain; abdominal pain; breathlessness; cold sweat-fatigue.
A heart attack occurs when one or more of the coronary arteries become blocked. Over time, a build-up of fatty deposits, including cholesterol, forms substances called plaques, which can narrow the arteries (atherosclerosis). This condition, called coronary artery disease, causes most heart attacks.
During a heart attack, a plaque can rupture and spill cholesterol and other substances into the bloodstream. A blood clot forms at the site of the rupture. If the clot is large, it can block blood flow through the coronary artery, depriving the heart of oxygen and nutrients (ischaemia).
7. BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL.
The diagnosis of a rare disease generates instability in the person who suffers from it, as well as in their family nucleus, and can directly affect self-esteem, generate anxiety and/or depression, sleep disorders, among others.
It is complicated to suffer from a disease when you do not know the diagnosis, its duration, where to go, what to do to get better, if there will be an evolution or if it will be fatal.
In most cases, rare disease patients have experienced a long road to diagnosis.
The lack of knowledge and uncertainty about the disease makes it impossible to know what the prospects for improvement are and is therefore one of the reasons that cause the greatest instability. Despite the fact that these diseases have no cure, research allows treatments to focus on quality of life.
This artwork represents the difficult situations a sick person goes through and the importance of identifying emotions, effective communication on an emotional level, empathy, avoiding social isolation, seeking the necessary psychological help and keeping in mind that all members of the family nucleus are important.
8. ASÍNTOTA.
Asymptote (from gr. ἀσύμπτωτος)
f. A thing that is desired and constantly approaching,
but which never comes to pass [2015,Whittier].
This artwork is an analogy between the great hopes that humanity has in new technologies to cure diseases and that waiting or "lack of control" that we still have over them.
Disease is part of us, it is part of life, it is life itself. Today, in the XXI century, the human being seems that for the first time he begins to pinch and understand the knowledge of what happens in their bodies.
We live in a world led by the continuous development of science and technology, where little by little an idea of current society has been forging in which it is difficult to think about the interaction between individuals, as well as their relationship with the natural environment and cultural, without taking into account these generators of modernity and reality.
With the arrival of the biotechnological revolution, and the succession of scientific discoveries linked to the field of health, food, etc. we tend to relax and settle into that hopeful climate with which science feeds us, to a point where the contemporary individual seems to conceive that the human race is on the way to being an indestructible, perfect and perpetual entity. However, nothing is further from reality, when the individual feels the arrival of the disease, he realizes that now that he needs to make use of these new technologies in the first person, he begins to be aware that he does not really control them yet, that there is still a long way to go before certain types of pathologies become or are conceived as something banal, a simple flu or a cold.
9. THE KING OF THE HOUSE.
It can be shocking to know that you have a chronic illness. At that moment patients may wonder "where does it come from?", "why me?".
As the person learns more about their illness and how to take care of themselves, their feelings may change and fear or impact may lead to anger, sadness, confusion or depression, as the sick person may not be able to live the way they used to or look like , to a greater or lesser extent, limited and dependent on treatments or machines that allow you to maintain a certain quality of life or, ultimately, to remain alive.
From that moment on, the patient may no longer feel like a complete person, although over time, their illness will become a part of them and they will have a "new normality".
It takes a lot of energy to manage a chronic disease every day. Sometimes this can affect your attitude, your mood, and your very concept of freedom as an individual. In most cases, the patient becomes very lonely, especially during times when their illness is more difficult to manage.
This artwork aims to reflect about time, about how we use it while we are living, our own and the time of others, but especially learning to live with disease.
10. FRÓNESIS.
(Interpretation of the bust of Giuliano of Medici).
According to Aristotle, phronesis (Greek: Φρόνησις, phronēsis) is the virtue of moral thinking, usually translated as 'practical wisdom', sometimes also as 'prudence' (in a sense it is contrasted with hibris or 'immoderation'). It is more specifically a form of wisdom relevant to practical things, requiring an ability to discern how or why to act virtuously and to foster virtue in practice and excellence of character.
Phronesis concerns particularities, as it is concerned with how to act in particular situations. One can learn the principles of action, but applying them in the real world, in situations one might not have foreseen, such as suffering from illness, requires experience of the world.
This artwork aims to illuminate other realities, reflecting on a reality in which we all live and which has always been present in us, although perhaps in the shadow of modernity and the development that we ourselves create day by day, in an industrialised and developed western society, where the media never cease to sell us life as something utopian, prosperous and unbreakable.
11. SICK TABOO.
This work is based on taboo among people suffering from mental illness, both in everyday and working life.
Mental health problems are still hidden under a sense of shame and negatively affect people, workers and companies. Despite many attempts to tackle it, there is still a long way to go. Talking about mental health remains extremely difficult, either because people fear it will damage their careers or because of cultural sensitivities.
Similarly, if a disease of the heart may cause the patient to have chest pain, a disease of the mind causes the patient to think strangely, perceive things that are at odds with reality and/or act in a singular, intimidating or humorous way. The symptoms present themselves differently but both suffer from a health problem and require treatment.
In ancient times mental illnesses were attributed to witchcraft or demonic possessions, hundreds of years later we can say that this paradigm has evolved, but unfortunately not as much as it should, there is still quite a big taboo, perhaps because the symptoms of these illnesses dispel much of what we are used to seeing and we are unaware of them.
Do our superstitions influence the process of these patients?
Many people, when they begin to notice their symptoms, are afraid to consult a specialist for fear of being discriminated against or underestimated by those who make up their social environment. This discriminatory attitude hinders early diagnosis and adequate treatment.
Mental illnesses can be treated. Is there a cure for our prejudice?
12. MOM´S LOVE.
This artwork focuses on the x-linked recessive inheritance of some rare diseases, which is transmitted from mother to child, and especially on the emotional effects of this problem.
The X chromosome contains many genes important for growth and development. The Y chromosome is much smaller and has fewer genes. Women have two copies of the X chromosome (XX) so if one of the genes on the X chromosome is altered, the normal gene on the other chromosome can compensate for the altered copy. If this happens, the woman will be healthy and a carrier of the X-linked disease.
If a carrier woman has a child, she can pass on either the X chromosome with the normal gene or the X chromosome with the altered gene. Each child therefore has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutated gene and having the disease. There is, on the other hand, a 50% chance that the child will inherit the normal gene. If this happens, he will not be affected by the disease.
If a carrier woman has a daughter, she can pass on either the X chromosome with the normal gene or the X chromosome with the altered gene. Each daughter therefore has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutated gene. If this occurs, the daughter may be a carrier, like her mother.
13. HEALTHY COMMUNITY.
This artwork is an allusion to the socio-cultural education that has been reaching new generations for decades in developed countries through the different information and communication media, and which continues to this day. This variety of media that surround societies and individuals, such as television, advertising or internet, are directly or indirectly related and focused on the word -LIFE-.
We live in a society that produces messages and stereotypes referring to beauty, youth, health, ideals, etc, where a fashion, an approach, a way of acting is born just as quickly as new ones appear in a very short space of time and replace the first ones. The daily commute from home to school, college or work, for example, can become a perfect excuse to be bombarded by this beautiful utopia of what a dream life should be like, perfect, carefree, within our reach, in which we may be gradually losing our idea of our relationship with life, the environment, our illusions, our identity as men and women who inhabit the world.
This kind of reality in which we live has never been and never will be as perfect as the one we are shown on a daily basis.
For this reason, one not very special day in the life of every individual, that world full of perfection, idealism, positivism and iron health with which we coexist, typical of the carefree world of childhood and youth, at some point, ends up being strongly affected, either in the first person or in a close environment, by the intrusion of a natural process that belongs to life and which we did not count on in those projects and personal achievements that we envisioned in principle, illness, and consequently, by cultural association, death.
