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| golden prosthetic hand by Jacques Monestier alongside a conventional split hook |
Sculptor and creator of automata Jacques Monestier has created a prosthetic hand that represents a provocative alternative to both hands and hooks; it is a design that simultaneously acknowledges its role yet also its artificiality. THe back of his golden hand is cast in the likeness of a human hand, but from an alloy; the palm is upholstered in soft, luxuriant leather. As Monestier explains, "Amputees often suffer a loss of self-image. I wanted to transmute what might be considered a disfurement into something marvelous and exotic. I wanted to create a hand that would no longer cause shame and repulsion. I wanted the amputees themselves to be proud to have a prosthetic hand and pleased to look at it. And for the people around them, I wanted the prosthetic hand to be an object of healthy curiosity, a work of art."
Pullin, Graham.
“Design Meets Disability.” Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Press, 2011, 35-37.
