Soundtrack for an online archive project by Floris Kaayk
On his own initiative, scientist Cornelis Vlasman experiments with organic materials in his independent laboratory. He is obsessed with the question: ‘What if the human body would not be a closed system, but instead a modular design with separate parts?’ Using his own body cells he created a new organism with a beating heart, lungs and exchangeable limbs. He names it OSCAR.
The Modular Body is an online science fiction archive by Floris Kayak. It allows viewers to explore fragments from Vlasman’s research. The interface was designed in collaboration with Lustlab.
Inspired by themes from Shelley’s Frankenstein and by how our contemporary technology allows us to ‘manipulate’ or even ‘improve’ the human body with implants, prosthesis, nanotechnology and bioengineering, Kaayk asks the question: what will happen when the body parts of a modular body can be endlessly replaced without any loss of identity? Will geriatric health issues be a thing of the past then? Will modular body parts bring us closer to immortality?
Visit themodularbody.com
