Among the works featured in Tavares Strachan's exhibition "There is Light Somewhere" at London's Hayward Gallery, there is a neon figure entitled "Robert". This artwork is inspired by Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., the first African-American astronaut in the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program.
Lawrence tragically died in a pilot training exercise in 1967 and Strachan's pulsating neon sculpture depicts Lawrence's body, who died in his ejector seat, suspended in space yet reaching toward the stars. The figure consists in a skeleton with a few sections lit up in fuchsia-red and blue, hinting at the circulatory system, so the figure also evokes anatomy.
The mind drifts to the eerie anatomical machines displayed at the Sansevero Chapel in Naples, Italy. While the chapel is more famous for Giuseppe Sanmartino's "Veiled Christ", it also houses an underground chamber with two glass cases showcasing the (in)famous Anatomical Machines. These are the skeletons of a man and a woman with their arteriovenous systems almost perfectly intact.
Legend has it that these disturbing models were created by Palermo doctor Giuseppe Salerno. In 1756, Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero, purchased the male anatomical machine after a public exhibition in Naples and later commissioned the Sicilian pathologist to create a female one.
The story of the Anatomical Machines remains enigmatic, with ongoing debates about the procedures and materials used to achieve such remarkable preservation. One dark legend claims that Raimondo di Sangro conducted an experiment on a man and a woman, and had Salerno injecting a metallizing liquid into their bodies to preserve their circulatory systems perfectly.
Benedetto Croce also recounts a popular belief that Raimondo di Sangro killed two of his servants, a man and a woman, and had their bodies embalmed in a way that displayed all their viscera, arteries, and veins. In reality, the circulatory systems of the "anatomical machines" were reconstructed using various materials, including beeswax and colorants.
What's surprising is the detailed reproduction of the arteriovenous system down to the finest vessels, showing advanced anatomical knowledge for the time. Recent research suggests that experiments with injections were likely performed before the anatomical machines were created.
The human form has always fascinated fashion designers. Quite often we have seen references to body silhouettes recreated in trompe l'oeil prints and embroideries or via padded elements, while the skin that we inhabit has also turned into an inspiration for textile artists.
But there have been designers who also went "under the skin": Elsa Schiaparelli was the first to do so when she designed her skeleton dress (1938). The latest attempt to go "under the skin" was courtesy of Thom Browne, who, in his Haute Couture A/W 24 collection, included a beige muslin design that featured on one side a series of padded elements reproducing the external human body, and, on the other, embroidered muscles that then opened up in red and blue threads, pointing at the circulatory system.
In the history of fashion there have also been examples of designs more focused on veins and arteries, rather than on the human skeleton or muscles. Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens included, for example, a bodysuit in his Fall 1998 collection that featured a heart-shaped appliqué in red lace over the right breast.
Stylized veins and arteries ran down the body and up the neck. The creation, according to the designer, was a reference to a girl who had so much hidden inside that her heart eventually exploded. Indirectly, this design also alludes to the concept of "memento mori", a genre in visual arts reminding us of the transience of human life.
A few years later, in 2013, FMR designed for an exhibition in France called "Silk Me Back", a kimono for a charity auction in support victims of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. In that case the arterial system on the silk kimono was interspersed with text from the Buddhist Sutta.
Through "Robert", Strachan honors Lawrence's legacy and invites viewers to reflect on themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the human spirit's relentless quest for exploration and discovery. He also reminds us that we are all made of the same intricate systems of bones, blood and vessels, and we therefore share a common humanity. This profound reminder of our interconnectedness serves as a powerful statement, urging us to look beyond our differences and recognize the shared essence that binds us together.
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