Twenty-first-century Bodies

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With the exploration of the body and its capabilities in the twenty-first century, designers began seeing that body ideals were shaping fashion instead of being defined by it.

The Bauhaus

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The Bauhaus was an institution that provided education and insight for individuals looking to expand their knowledge about how to incorporate all the visual arts together and display them through the medium which was essentially, theatre. The principle that underlined the things done in the Bauhaus was that, "work on the stage is a work of art." The philosophy of those who ran it (Lothar Schreyer) was to maintain the "pure" amalgam of technology and art. As the institution grew however, this core principle was not upheld and eventually fell into the reliance on, "feelings." Since this went against most of what Bauhause stood for, the one in authority of the Bauhaus (Lothar Schreyer), was forced to resign and Oskar Schlemmer took his place. Schlemmer, who had previous artistic experience in painting, was able to combine his artistic talent with technological elements to create a design that was represented by art and technology. This drew the interest of other artists who might be interested in working, "beyond the boundaries of their own disciplines." Because Schlemmer was determined to not become complacent with the categories put on art, this allowed him to understand where the focal point needed to be as the director of the Bauhaus Stage.

Since the beginning of the Bauhaus, its motivation has revolved around, "creative theatre." This meant that the feelings of satire and parody were present and that they were expressed through improvisation and avant-garde costumes and masks. In addition, students didn't need to have experience or be professionally trained in dance to take part in the performances. Even though Schlemmer did not have any prior dancing experience, he eventually danced his work as well. He also developed a theory of performance. Painting was to be considered as most intellectual and illustratively took up the two-dimensional elements of space where theatre was seen as a place where space could be "experienced." Theatre and painting were to be seen as complimentary actions. Therefore, the visual art that resulted could be perceived as something that is experienced not only through sight, but also throughout the entire body.

Prosthetics & the Senses

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Prosthesis, even though they are physically used to replace parts of the body that have been amputated and are no longer functioning, can also be seen as a type of art medium that allows the user to integrate technology with their physiology in a practical meaningful way. This is not to say that prosthesis are viewed by everyone as a medical art piece, but that they are an extension to the body which can then be viewed as a work of art. A question that is posed in the article, "On The Subject of Neural and Sensory Prostheses" by Lisa Cartwright and Brian Goldfarb that asks, "...how do the very ideas of object, organ, and part change when the senses and the nervous system are recognized to be the entities replaced or supplemented in a prosthetic system?"
I find this question intriguing because it suggests that the prosthesis alter not only the physical properties of a human being but also the psychological. As is stated further on in the article, prosthesis essentially give mobility to the user but it does not give the feeling of sensation. This is why technology has been implemented into prosthesis in order to simulate the sense of touch. Nerve pathways are stimulated in the musculature of the individual wearing the prosthesis through electrodes embedded in it. This advancement in technology allowed those who had prosthesis to experience senses such as touch and temperature for the first time in a long while.
The sense of touch is powerful because it connects human beings at a personal and intimate level. Being able to "feel" through the use of a prosthesis creates the opportunity for those who have nerve endings that can be accessed to actually be able to sense things such as touch once again.