Anna Coleman Ladd’s prosthetic designs decenter the concept of a “human” because it presents the idea that physical features can be manufactured rather than biologically produced. The realism of the nose and eyes creates an unsettling feeling due to the prior knowledge that those specific body parts are designed. The previous disembodied figure is now made whole in a realistic manner. The precision to detail, which eventually aids in producing human-like features, crosses the boundary between what is considered human and what is not. As shown in the slide, the image of the man who has a prosthetic nose has a more humanistic look than his previous physical appearance. To the unsuspecting eye, the “after” result depicts a human, despite there being an engineered modification. In addition, her prosthetic advances began in the late 19th century to the earlier 20th century. During this time, many people sustained injuries during the many wars that ensued throughout the world. As casualties increased, the need for prosthetics skyrocketed, blending the biologically produced figures with the manufactured body parts within the human population. The realistic approach to prosthesis essentially devalues the characteristics of what is considered a “normal person”. Having a prototype that replicates the motions and aesthetics of the human body leads to the idea that it is not necessary to produce beings in the traditional manner, but that it is possible to engineer these attributes to near perfection.
In reply to Sarah Luke
Re: Anna Coleman Ladd (1878-1939): Prosthetic Work
I agree with your interpretation of Anna Coleman's Prosthetic work. I enjoyed how you said that " physical features can be manufactured rather than biologically produced because that is exactly what popped into my head when I first saw the images. I also agree with you when you say the prosthetics are unsettling because they truly are, they gave me goosebumps.
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I think you analyzed the picture perfectly. I would just like to add that this also pertains to the topic of Uncanny Valley. People who have prosthetic parts possess them in order to fix their complexion which looked abnormal and therefore unsettlingly to other people. Yet even though the prosthetic part's role is to make the person look normal again, once an observer realizes that it is not an actual part of that human but a prosthetic, the fact that it is fake immediately creates an uneasy feeling in that observer. Psychologists link the phobia of dolls to the fear of a fake resembling the real to a too large of a degree. But it is also the fear of the potential of something made by us to serve us potentially becoming our equal or even surpassing our abilities.
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