"Hybrid Bodies, a multidisciplinary research and artistic creation project, brings together the domains of Arts, Ethics, Medicine and Social Sciences to investigate the complexities of heart transplantation. Beyond its anatomical function, the heart represents immense personal significance and speaks to the age-old question at the core of human selfhood: “Who am I?” Advances in medical transplantation technologies raise urgent questions about bodily integrity, personal identity, and the relationship between recipients and their donors. The aim of these projects is to further explore the complexity of organ transplantation in a novel way which makes it accessible to the public by providing context to discuss and explore these ideas. We hope the artworks will provide a tangible focus for future discussion." - HybridBodiesProject.com
Ingrid Bachmann's video installation and performance piece The Gift, performed by Linnea Gwiazda and Maxine Segalowitz, is a part of The Hybrid Bodies Project that includes the work of a team of artists and researchers from around the world. The Gift has been exhibited at such venues as Kunstkraftwerk (Leipzig, Germany), The Hannah Maclure Centre (Dundee, Scotland), the University of Toronto Art Centre, The International Festival of Video Art (Camagüey, Cuba) and Centre PHI.