General Research
Initial Mood Board
First Exploration into what I wanted to design; tactile sensations was very important.
Assistive Technology
“any device, software, or equipment that helps people work around their challenges.”
The Alternative Limb Project
“We as a species are taking our evolution into our own hands. We design our future. . .
Fashion, body modification, makeup, plastic surgery, gender reassignment – our bodies and appearance can be the ultimate expression.”
—Sophie de Oliveira Barata,
Body Modifications
"any kind of alteration, temporary or permanent, done internally or externally, with the goal of altering the human anatomy or physical appearance."
Historical Research
Aztec Rituals
Aztecs used body modification as a right of passage, for religious ceremonies, and for aesthetic purposes. Pain was an important and sacred factor.
Ötzi the Iceman
The first documented case found of a body with tattoos and acupuncture at pressure points. He was a 5,300 year old corpse found with over 50 tattoos.
Lakota Sundance
The Sun Dance is a sacred ceremony practiced by a variety of Native Americans. The practiced involved men being pierced and attached to a pole which they danced around for days. Few images exist of the ceremony.
Corseting "Tightlacing"
The Victorian Era saw a rise in the commercialization of body modification with the act of "tightlacing." This type of corseting had a plethora of health issues to achieve a tiny waist and pushed upwards bosom.
Chinese Footbinding
Practiced for over a millennia in China, the ideal beauty standard was for women to have the smallest feet possible. This painful process left feet as small as 11cm.
Neck Stretching
While multiple cultures have practiced this, I researched the Kayan people of Myanmar. These brass coils are placed when they are 5 years old, and appear to elongate the neck. In actuality, they push down the collar bone.
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Technology & Body Modification
Biohacking
"the practice of changing our chemistry and our physiology through science and self-experimentation to energize and enhance the body."
The North Sense
A project idea meant to be mass marketed. A chip would be applied dermally to the chest, and it would vibrate every time the user faced north. An example of biohacking.
Magnetic Implants
A common way to participate in biohacking is to implant magnets in your fingertips. This implant allows the user to have a new and unique interaction with their environment.
Grinders
" people who practice biohacking or body hacking: the application of the hacker ethic to improve their own bodies with do-it-yourself cybernetic devices or introducing Biochemicals into the body to enhance or change their bodies' functionality.
Neil Harbisson
Known as a human cyborg, Harbinsson implanted a vibrating antenna into his occipital bone. This antenna allows him to see colors in the world that he struggles to see because of his achromatopsia. (Seeing in grayscale.)
RFID Implants
Another practice in the biohacking community; implanting RFID chips into a hand for quick access. Some doctors have implanted RFID chips in order to have faster access.
Readings
Design Meets Disability
This reading was an important part of my Capstone process in order to further understand the normalization of designing for someone who may not be able bodied. By Graham Pullin
Design is Storytelling
This book by Ellen Lupton helped in the prosthetic design in my Capstone; especially with a focus on multi-sensory design.
Body Without Organs
This dense philosophical reading was helpful in exploring the identity of the human body in relation to its limits on traits, movements, habits etc. Written by French philosophers Gillard Deleuze and Felix Guattari.
A Cyborg Manifesto
An essay by Donna Haraway that delves deeply into using the cyborg form in identity politics, specifically in terms of the female body.
Research Methods For Product Design
Written by Alex Milton & Paul Rodgers; this book was helpful in the step by step project building and prototyping.
