Anatomical Theater: Early Modern and Contemporary Dissection as Investigative Art 

PI: Karen-Margrethe Simonsen

Funded by DFF Explorative network grant 2024-2028. 

This network brings Danish and European researchers from humanities and the medical sciences together with cultural sector partners to develop interdisciplinary strategies and historical perspectives for analysing and disseminating knowledge about anatomical dissection. We have four objectives: 1. Establish a new methodological approach by drawing on a key development in the humanities: ‘investigative aesthetics’ pioneered by Matthew Fuller and Eyal Weizman. 2. Undertake a comparative historical analysis of dissection practices and spaces. 3. Enhance the public dissemination of anatomical knowledge by engaging in close dialogue with representatives from the museum sector (Medical Museion Copenhagen and Boerhaave Museum Leiden), and with artists and curators whose work on anatomy involves public engagement. 4. Enhance understanding of pedagogical challenges involved in anatomical dissection in contemporary medical training.