Counter Poses [examine side by side] 2004

 Inkjet prints onto Heritage paper, embossed with line art drawings made from wire.

The works were based on talks with medical staff, recipients of donor organs and the families of deceased donors and explores the intense and complex feelings surrounding organ transplant. This investigation is presented though a series of photographic pieces.

The six prints are an ‘exploded diagram’ of a heart transplant patient’s journey through hospital. Traditionally used in medical illustration, an exploded diagram separates the parts of a subject so that each part can be seen clearly. Each part is separated out from its neighbours to show and name the parts of a subject, such as an animal skeleton, the human body, machines, or equipment. Exploded diagrams are used to show details that are otherwise hidden or hard to see in a normal (integrated) diagram.

The six photographs show rooms and spaces in and around the hospital that are central to a patient’s transplant. Not all will be familiar to patients as some are behind the scenes, or occupied when the patient is unconscious (for example the operating theatres). The images were made using a Spheroview ^TM camera that takes 360 degree images and transfer them straight to a laptop with no negative. The images are printed on a heavy paper and then embossed with line drawings of hands.