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Zakynthos Plaque and QR code unveiling 15 March 2024

2/15/2024

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USA Cambridge, MA Vesalius Event, 25 February 2024 , scan QR code for further details

2/14/2024

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By Pascale Pollier : Medical Artist Founder of ARSIC &  Vesalius Continuum

The quest for the lost grave of Andreas Vesalius is a Scientific-Artistic project in collaboration with prominent researchers, Theo Dirix and artist Pascale Pollier-Green

The Renaissance anatomist Andreas Vesalius revolutionised medical knowledge by creating and publishing the intricately illustrated “De humani corporis fabrica.” This ground-breaking anatomy book, mapping the human body in unprecedented detail, has endured as the most renowned work of its kind in history. Despite our extensive understanding of Vesalius and the production of the Fabrica, the identities of the artist behind its illustrations, such as Jan Stephan von Calcar, a student of Titian, remain enigmatic. Nevertheless, this artist, collaborating with Vesalius, played a pivotal role in shaping medical illustration for centuries.

In 2009, Pascale, inspired by her completion of a facial reconstruction course in Maastricht, conceived the idea of reconstructing the face of the eminent anatomist Andreas Vesalius. Despite uncertainties surrounding Vesalius’s burial, believed to be in Brussels, Pascale and her colleague Ann van de Velde embarked on a quest for the truth. Their journey led them to the Ionian Island of Zakynthos in Greece, where Vesalius’s death had remained a mystery for over four centuries. Intriguingly, various theories surrounding the cause of his death and the exact burial site, ranging from shipwreck to disease, prompted their determination to uncover the truth. Sailing to Zakynthos, they explored potential sites, including the lost Franciscan monastery in Pantokratoras and the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. During their quest, letters discovered by esteemed Belgian researchers Omer Steeno, Maurits Biesbrouck, and Theo Godeeris revealed an alternative theory associated with the Franciscan monastery ‘Annunciata’ at Santa Maria delle Grazie, as mentioned by Flemish author Giovanni Zuallardo in 1586. Unfortunately, the epitaph was lost in 1571, deepening the layers of intrigue surrounding their investigation.

In the words of Pascale Pollier herself,

“A decade later, we are delighted to unveil our comprehensive findings derived from the application of advanced technologies at the archaeological site of Santa Maria Della Grazia in Zakynthos. Our primary objective was to ascertain the burial place of Vesalius, and these cutting-edge methods have provided invaluable insights and results.

Our quest is ongoing the next step will hopefully be locating the exact spot of the burial site! If we do find the exact location, our intention is to conduct an excavation and perform a facial reconstruction on the skull of Andreas Vesalius. Additionally, I envision creating a digital facial reconstruction and animating the reconstruction of the face to develop an interactive avatar of Vesalius. The ultimate goal is to transform this avatar into an educational app, allowing the pioneering anatomist to come back to life digitally. Through this innovative approach, Vesalius could become a virtual teacher, a blast from the past, imparting anatomical knowledge to modern medical students. I believe such a technological homage aligns with Vesalius’s spirit of exploration and education, making it a fitting tribute to his legacy.”

http://www.artem-medicalis.com/


The standout images in Book II of Vesalius’s work are the Muscle Men. These illustrations showcase men in various stages of dissection against the backdrop of the Euganean hills near Venice and Padua, Italy. When assembled, these images create a continuous panorama, blending the scientific study of the human body with the natural world

In collaboration with forensic medical artist Richard Neave, Pascale sculpted a commemorative monument for the 500th anniversary of Vesalius’s birth. The monument features an ecorche holding a skull, symbolising the ongoing quest for Vesalius’s grave. The ecorche is inspired by two illustrations from Vesalius’s masterpiece anatomy book; “The Fabrica”. One illustration depicts a contemplative skeleton with a bowed posture, accompanied by the inscription on the plinth: “vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt” (“genius lives on, all else is mortal”). The second ecorche points skyward, symbolizing a philosophical perspective that transcends the limitations of the physical body, suggesting there is more to life beyond our corporeal existence. 

To finance the creation of the monument, we produced a unique sculpture of Vesalius’s head, blending half reconstruction and half portrait, and cast it in bronze. Twelve copies of this distinctive piece were sold, generating the necessary funds for both the production and shipment of the new monument. This monument, a gift to the people of Zakynthos, now stands proudly on Vesalius Square, facing the sea from which Vesalius first arrived on the island nearly 460 years ago.

The search for Andreas Vesalius’s lost grave persists as ARSIC founder and  medical artist Pascale Pollier-Green http://www.artem-medicalis.com/  and writer and taphophile Theo Dirix http://www.theodirix.com/books.html actively seek funds to start the excavating through various channels. Their efforts include organising lectures, events, writing books, and articles, all aimed at realising the ultimate dream of locating Vesalius remains.
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Happy Birthday Andreas Vesalius on this day 509 years ago

12/31/2023

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 Vesalius projects
 
1) A lecture by Medical Artist and ARSIC founder Pascale Pollier; Vesalius Continuum, “The quest for the lost grave of Andreas Vesalius” revealing our results and findings on GPR Ground Penetrating Radar and ERT Electric Resistivity Tomography on Zakynthos at the site of Santa Maria Della Grazia, The quest for the lost grave of Andreas Vesalius is a scientific project in collaboration with prominent researchers, Theo Dirix and artist Pascale Pollier-Green
This lecture will be hosted and organised by Sci-Artist and Environmental Advocate Mara G Haseltine”
25 February at 3 PM at the Geotherapy institute, as a first of a series of Private Salon talks, Cambridge MA
With Renaissance Music by Kelly Savage, harpsichord and Kathleen Flynn, mezzo-soprano & writer .
Forasmuch as Bryan W. Green, a sculptor seduced by the word poet and a poet fascinated by the outstanding figure of man, bold against a backdrop of time and space, claims that Vesalius was thrust upon him in a monumental manner, he had to carve these words out of the mental block of history and the lost marbled wane-wax thoughts of the future. Bryan will be reciting his 2 Poems , Vesalius 1514-2014, Vesalius and the double split experiment, A mirage.
 
2) Vesalius Triennial 2026 conference preparations (BIOMAB) in Wesel Germany
10-11/01/2024 visit Wesel Germany ( Guido Sold) with organising Team Bob Van Hee, Francis Van Gabbeek, Marc De Roeck, Ann Van de Velde and Pascale Pollier
 
3) March 2024 - unveiling of a Vesalius remembrance plaque at the Saint Mark's Roman Catholic Church in Zakynthos, and the unveiling of a QR code plaque at the Vesalius monument, Vesalius Square, Zakynthos
                      - donation of a Vesalius sculpture bust at the Museum of the History of Medicine in Ioannina, with Theo Dirix,
 sponsored by VIW, The Movement Flanders-Europe, and with the support of BIOMAB (Francis Van Glabbeek, Ann van de Velde, Pascale Pollier). 
  
4) 3-4 Oct 2024 Anatomy & Beyond II ( ARSIC and MAA Conference London ) Hosted by The Gordon Museum London & The Royal College of Surgeons, London with an exhibition at The Old Operating Theatre.
Anatomy & Beyond is a leading conference that aims to explore and understand the ever-evolving nature of our body, mind and the world around us. Starting from the ground-breaking works of Galen and Vesalius, we delve into the scientific and philosophical understanding of our corporality, consciousness humanity and trans humanity. Our conference brings together experts from around the world to explore past, present and future ideas. Be a part of this creative discourse and join us in shaping our understanding of life and death and the nature of reality.

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Recent Vesalius Lectures "Vesalian Landscapes" by Theo Dirix

12/30/2023

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- 23/06/2023: with pianist Elke Robersscheuten, in: Afternoon concert Vesalian landscapes, in music, poetry and photography (29th AEIMS Congress & 4th Edition of Vesalius Continuum), University of Antwerp, Belgium,

-  08/10/2023: with Elke Robersscheuten in: Vesalian landscapes, Art House Ideomelo, Marousi, Greece
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- 18/12/2023, a lecture about the place of Andreas Vesalius in the recently published Flemish Canon, Municipal Library, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.

www.heusden-zolder.eu/theo-dirix-laat-andreas-vesalius-nooit-los.aspx

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Exhibition Vesalian Landscapes 23 june 2023

6/13/2023

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Vesalius conference 23 June 2023, Antwerp , click on photo to register

6/13/2023

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Webinar Book launch ; In the shadow of Vesalius on November 13th register here for this Free event

11/6/2020

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Register here
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Article on Clinical anatomy website with thanks to our dear friendĀ  Dr. Efrain Miranda

11/6/2020

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https://clinicalanatomy.com/mtd/912-the-long-road-to-the-book-in-the-shadow-of-vesalius
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on this day ; International Anatomy day , remembering Andreas Vesalius Death on 15th October 1564 we present a new book "In the Shadow of Vesalius"

10/15/2020

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Van Hee R. (Editor): ‘In the shadow of Vesalius’.
One volume, soft cover.
Published by Garant Publishersj.  Antwerpen (Belgium)/Apeldoorn (The Netherlands).
Pre-order price (until release on 13th November 2020): 39 €  or 45 USD (postage and handling excluded).
Bookshop price as of 14th November 2020: : 45 € or 52 USD.

to reserve your copy send an email address to ​[email protected] | [email protected]
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In Search of Andreas Vesalius The Quest for the Grave, Lost and not yet found

2/20/2018

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My partner in crime and fellow traveller, Theo Dirix, has just published a new account of our common quest for the lost grave of Andreas Vesalius. Until the scientific results of our latest mission in Zakynthos in September 2017, will become public, this collection of articles published since 2014 represents a detailed and complete status quaestionis of a search that will never be the same anymore. 
I'm proud and grateful to be part of a team he describes a most tenacious. 

This is a remarkable quote from the book: 
The beast you have in your hands may appear as aged and stubborn: indeed, the texts collected here are not new and they regularly echo each other. The beast barks and growls: these words do not intend to examine or research but were meant to sell a project to potential sponsors. I feel the taste of the creature’s spit in my face, but pleading not guilty to any accusation of self-glorification, I do hope I managed to teach it a few tricks you will enjoy. While continuing to write about Vesalius’s death and his grave, black dogs may still be scratching at my hermitage. When I will finally throw open the doors to the beauty beyond, here’s hoping the encounter with the female spider will taste as fresh as a first kiss and be the beginning of something else. 


No surprise some have described the book as: "a truly captivating story (a Live Adventure!) written in a fascinating, passionate and inspiring way. Theo Dirix, with his unique style is describing facts from his adventure to locate the grave of Vesalius and he is mentioning with great respect all his collaborators, the friends of Vesalius and those who share the same passion for Anatomy and Art." 
(Vasia Hatzi on Med in Art). 


The book can be ordered here: https://www.shopmybooks.com/BE/nl/book/theo-dirix-32/in-search-of-andreas-vesalius 
More information about the author on his website www.theodirix.com
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