isocenter

Drawing inspiration from the choreography made by the radiotherapy machine, Frederik Vanhoutte transforms the device into a plotter drawing machine with ink on paper. In his research project, treatment is replaced by expression, radiation delivery machine replaced by a mechanical drawing device. Care and art, two very human activities envisioned by people are entrusted to machines.

The isocenter is a precisely defined point within the patient’s body, which serves as the reference point where multiple radiation beams intersect with high accuracy during radiation therapy. This intersection ensures that the maximum radiation dose is concentrated precisely at the intended target, typically a tumor.

The medium and materiality of the work are intentionally chosen to extend beyond a mere technical representation of motion and intensity, where brush and ink symbolise adding a more human quality to the otherwise cold data. Sensitive to the fiber and the warp of the paper, responding to each minor disturbance, the process now incorporates material interaction, reality and humanity.

The exhibition ISOCENTER  is composed of the plotter drawings, along with Philippe Braquenier’s photographs, taken during a series of visits to the hospital’s radiotherapy centre. Philippe’s photographs punctuate the exhibition bringing in unique views of the physical space in which radiotherapy is performed. The gaze lands upon a suspended atmosphere, almost out of time, where objects turn unrecognisable, and cutting-edge machines stand dormants recalling the sophistication of man made technology.