Cryonic iconics and iconic cryonics

[Thursday 30 October]

It appears that I'm not the only one with a penchant for cryonics. Photographer Murray Ballard's Cyronics series "explores the practice of preserving dead people or animals by freezing them at extremely low temperatures, in the hope that science will be able to revive them in the future. The photographer traveled to a cryonics lab in Phoenix, Arizona, documenting the facility, the technology used, the scientists working there, met with some prospective patients in the UK, etc. All along, questioning whether he was dedicating his time to a world of 'farciful fantasies' or of 'genuine and innovative scientific experimentation.'" (Via We Make Money Not Art.)

If I'm going with this program, it may be a good idea to get in touch with Mr Ballard. On his website, he quotes Charles Platt's The Impossible Dream:

"The dream of escaping mortality has tantalized humanity for thousands of years. It occurs in all primitive cultures and modern world religions... Clearly, there is a natural human yearning to transcend the limits imposed on us by our physical form."

And then this:

"Cryonics is defined as the practice of preserving a dead person or animal, by freezing them at extremely low temperatures, in the hope that science and technology will be able to revive them, and return them to full health in the future.

It is impossible to predict when science will progress to this point. Consequently, a person might remain in this frozen state for many decades or centuries - or never 'wake up'. Indeed, cryonics is founded on science; but there is no consensus among scientists that the concept can ever actually work. The fundamental argument used by cryonicists, is that at some stage in the future, science and technology will inevitably evolve to the point when cryonics is physically possible. Cryonicists say that the only real question is: when?"

And then a lot of nice images. Some of my favourites:

A few more 'found' images (not by Ballard) that may serve as inspiration for thinking about that "most iconic of programs"...