Christine's+Prosthetic

//__Embrace__//




Artist Statement for //Embrace//:
The main objective of //Embrace// is to visually depict the idea of an embrace that is cloying, aggressive, or unwanted. To demonstrate this, I created a prosthetic that, rather than enhancing movement, restricts it. The rib-like prongs wrap around the torso and arms, hugging the arms to the body so that the individual wearing the prosthetic is completely unable to move their arms or bend their back, as in an embrace. //Embrace// was made in two parts: I first built a base, which I then covered in plaster. The base was made from a slender rod of wood, which serves as a sort of “backbone”. To this backbone, I attached conical forms made from chicken wire, which I curved around my body to create “ribs”. These ribs were secured to the wooden rod with wire, lath, and insulation tape. Next, I covered the entire form with several layers of plaster, which I smoothed down with a surform tool and chiseled loosely to create texture. As //Embrace// leans towards the aggressive side, I decided to leave the texture from the surform tool and chisel slightly rough, even ragged in some areas, which I feel conveys a certain hostility. Additionally, I experienced some cracking when fitting the prosthetic over my body. Rather than try to fix or prevent this, however, I decided to play with it. The cracking of the prosthetic over the body suggests the struggle of the individual wearing the prosthetic, who is resistant yet helpless against the overbearing nature of the embrace. //Embrace// thus restricts voluntary movement, which ultimately implies a restriction of free will.