Vital functions such as our breathing and heartbeat are not only closely linked to social and economic aspects in times of crisis; »In view of the shortage of ventilators in the ongoing coronavirus crisis, we can see that maintaining vital functions is not just the concern of an individual organism, but an undertaking with social implications«, explains media scientist Benjamin Prinz. »Being able to breathe is thus not only a question of physiological metabolism, but also depends on industrial production forces«. However, mobilising different sections of society and production for medical care (as is currently case with automotive and vacuum cleaner manufacturers) actually has a long history.

Using the example of heart-lung machines, the research project demonstrates that advances in medical technology were largely made possible by the advent of radio electronics at the beginning of the twentieth century. The media scientists will use archive material on prostheses, organ transplants and implants to show that the historical development of artificial organs has always been based on improvised links between medical research and industrial production. By combining innovative approaches from media studies and the history of science, the research project will open up new insights into the media and social contexts of the posthuman body.

For more information on the research project, see the website of the Professorship for the Theory of Media Worlds: www.uni-weimar.de/de/medien/professuren/medienwissenschaft/theorie-medialer-welten/forschung/medien-und-organe

The research project »Media and organs. Configurations of the Posthuman Body« at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

In case of questions on the research project, please contact Benjamin Prinz:
Benjamin Prinz (MA)
Research assistant
Professorship for the Theory of Media Worlds
E-mail: benjamin.prinz[at]uni-weimar.de