Prosthetic Gadgets!

• For this project you will end with an 11X14” “self-

portrait”, of you wearing or demonstrating a
fantasy gadget that you design.

• We will be using laser-printouts for collage, as

well as colored pencils and markers for hand-
drawn aspects.

• More will be explained in a little while…..

First let’s look at some machines and
gadgets in the art world….
 Sachiko Kodama
engineered a
machine that causes
magnetic liquid to
form moving “points”
from electric currents
controlled by a
computer.

Link:
Sachiko Kodama, “Morpho Tower”, Morpho Tower Video
2006
 Fantasy Machines in Art

The work we just saw used real engineering to make art.

There is lots of “fantasy” machinery in the art world. This

means the artwork is a sculpture or idea, but can’t possibly
function physically in real life.

…You’ll see that sometimes “fantasy machines” can be even

cooler than functional ones!
 Early Examples

Da Vinci designed these to function in

real life, but when engineers re-created
his flying machines, they do not work as
Da Vinci had planned.

Da Vinci’s Flying Machines,

Circa 1500
• Da Vinci speculated
that the designs
would work, based on
what he already knew
about nature and
physics.

• He used educated
guesses to draw the
machines.
Matt Dixon, “The Machine”
2008
 Set of interactive goggles by
Lygia Clark.

Lygia Clark, “Oculos”,

1968.
The Steampunk Aesthetic

• “Steampunk” subculture is an
awesome combination of:

 Vintage sci-fi novels

 Victorian Philosophy
 Futuristic Technology

• Steampunk asks, “What if

science had developed in a
different direction than it
has?”
• These goggles and wrist-
gadgets are meant for the
body, just like a prosthetic
object.

• Decorative, but have a

fictional mythology,
narrative, and purpose
given to it by the maker.

• They’re fantasy gadgets

based loosely on science!
Prosthetics
• Prosthetics attach to
the body. They can
help a person look
different, or can help
them do something
they couldn’t do.

• Example: a prosthetic
leg to help someone
walk.
This steampunk gadget, like a prosthetic, also attaches to
the body and has a “purpose”. Though its purpose is a
fictional one.
Prosthetics as Art?
• Makers of prosthetic
body parts often go
for a “realistic look.

• Ones that are more

functional don’t look
much like human
body parts, but more
like machines.
Here is an ancient Egyptian prosthetic toe, dating from 950-710 BCE.

How did the creator make the toe visually appealing and not just
functional?
Aimee Mullins is a model and athlete who has amputated legs.
• Aimee is wearing glass high-
heeled legs in this Matthew Barney
film.

• Are they prosthetic or aesthetic

in this case?

• Can they be both?

How does this all fit together?
• Sachiko Kodama, Roxy Paine, and the makers of
prosthetic legs all used real machinery for their objects.

• The steampunk craftsmen, Matt Dixon, and Lygia Clark

designed their objects based on what they knew about
machinery, and added fanciful narratives and gave
fictional purposes to their objects. We are focusing on
this way of designing.

• We also saw that prosthetics can be functional,

aesthetic, or even both sometimes.
 What’s the Project?
• You will be designing a fantasy contraption.

• In other words, this is a fictional gadget that

attaches to your body, and can help you do
something you couldn’t do normally.

• The ability you get from your prosthetic gadget

can also be fictional (such as shooting lasers
from your eyes, etc).
 The Steps:
• First: Decide what you want your contraption to do!

• Second: What technology or machine-parts might you need for that

object? (Example: A jet pack might need an engine, exhaust pipes,
and a harness, plus other things.)

• Third: Find 10+ online pictures of gears, engines, machinery,

computer parts, buttons, switches, or other things for your design.
This will help you get a better idea of what it could look like! Print
them out and bring them with you to class.

• Last: You will make a combination hand-drawn and collaged 11 X

14” picture of yourself, wearing or demonstrating your prosthetic.
We will take photos of each other in class for these.

• Remember, it is not a functioning machine. It is “speculative”,

meaning it is an idea based on what you already know, and not
what is scientifically proven.
 Project Guidelines:
• Self-portrait does not have to be your entire body, it can
be partial.

• Re-print correctly-sized images on laser printer if you will

be using them for doing collage.

• If doing hand-drawn parts, use photos and images for

reference.

• Use as much of the space on the paper as possible!

 References
• A good explanation of Prosthetics:
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110311/home.shtml

• Steampunk:
http://steampunkworkshop.com/
http://gizmodo.com/tag/steampunk/
http://www.datamancer.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

• Sachiko Kodama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ6SB4JvJoU
http://www.kodama.hc.uec.ac.jp/index-e.html

• Lygia Clark:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygia_Clark