The United States has one of the world’s most extensive systems of mass removal. Its historical roots draw on 19th century biopolitical traditions of border control and internal anti-immigrant policing. In the early 20th century, rail technologies enabled an economical assemblage of steel and law, of racism and politics, attempting national purification by expelling ‘undesirable aliens.’ The process differentiated between the categories of privileged citizenship and abject alienage. The possibilities of national cleansing through deportation allowed new modes of sovereign governance, defined territories, and controlled populations—foundational aspects of modern nationhood.

The contraction of specialized skeletal muscle cells results in classic movements of bones and other parts of the body that are vital for life. There is exquisite control over the movement of diverse types of muscles. This paper indicates the way in which skeletal muscles (myofibres) are formed; then factors that contribute to generating the movement are outlined: these include the nerve, sarcomeres, cytoskeleton, cell membrane and the extracellular matrix. The factors controlling the movement of mature myofibres in 3-dimensional tissues in vivo are vastly more complex than for tissue cultured immature muscle cells in an artificial in vitro environment.

The marriage of art and science often requires the sharing of unique characteristics. Skeletal muscle cells have provided a format in which the biology mimics the interaction of the artist and scientist within a common framework. This interaction, like the complex mechanism of fused muscle cells themselves, reveals and reminds those in both disciplines of the remarkable dynamic of movement between the two fields. This movement stimulates and rewards the artist and the scientist alike. For a scientist who works closely with artists, it is important to re-visit the fundamental concepts that drive the curiosity and stimulate the passion.

The earliest descriptions of the motions of living cells were marked by a sense of vitality. Indeed, these cellular motions have fascinated a diverse array of scientists and artists for centuries. The sustained interaction between artists and scientists in the author’s lab has led to an environment that fosters novel research directions and an appreciation of the intrinsic value of curiosity. Here, the author describes the anti-disciplinary research taking place in the lab and some of the discoveries that have revealed new paradigms governing the movement and behaviors of living cells in unnatural environments.

During the first decades of the 19th century, a number of prominent scientists conducted experiments in the revival of dead organisms using new galvanic technologies. In several cases, these experiments were conducted on human bodies, using the corpses of executed criminals. Such experiments captured the cultural imaginary of the day, posing new questions about the relationship between emergent technologies, automated movement, and human agency. This article examines the role played by spectacle, aesthetics, and new practices and technologies of visualization in these scientific experiments.