Spare Parts

Our exhibition design for the Science Gallery in London explored the art, science, ethics and technology that enable human repair and alteration.

We considered the emotional and psychological aspects of living with a replacement organ or limb, be it organic or engineered. Developed alongside scientists from King’s College London, the exhibition and accompanying events programme invited visitors to question whether ‘spare parts’ can exist outside the biological body, or whether our bodies can be a sum of independent parts that are regenerated, enhanced, donated or altered.

These processes of bodily transformation found expression in our design intervention. A timber megastructure acted as a prosthesis to the gallery, using modular elements to connect the architecture of the building to the works on display. In this structure, transparency of fabrication, fixings and support were highlighted rather than hidden. The design was developed and perfected through a series of prototypes made in JKA’s model shop.

Working imaginatively with artists, curator, and Science Gallery London, JKA’s collaborative methodology is an embodiment of Spare Parts.

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