Artists turn old prosthetic limbs into artworks at Spare Parts London
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Australian artist and curator Priscilla Sutton arranges pieces for her show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. The exhibition curated by Australian artist Priscilla Sutton comprises of over forty limbs - donated by owners no longer using them - and then transformed into pieces of art, and is being held to coincide with the London 2012 Paralympics. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Australian artist and curator Priscilla Sutton arranges pieces for her show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Exhibits made of prosthetic limbs are displayed for the show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Exhibits made of prosthetic limbs are displayed for the show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Australian artist and curator Priscilla Sutton arranges pieces for her show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Exhibits made of prosthetic limbs are displayed for the show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Australian artist and curator Priscilla Sutton arranges pieces for her show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. The exhibition curated by Australian artist Priscilla Sutton comprises of over forty limbs - donated by owners no longer using them - and then transformed into pieces of art, and is being held to coincide with the London 2012 Paralympics. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Australian artist and curator Priscilla Sutton arranges pieces for her show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Exhibits made of prosthetic limbs are displayed for the show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Exhibits made of prosthetic limbs are displayed for the show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Australian artist and curator Priscilla Sutton arranges pieces for her show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Exhibits made of prosthetic limbs are displayed for the show Spare Parts at The Rag Factory in London on Aug 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON (AP) - Prosthetics can change the life of an amputee. But when an old limb no longer fits or just gets worn out, it can be hard to part ways with an item that offered the liberating chance to jump, dance or simply walk.
Ms Priscilla Sutton has a solution: turn these "pre-loved" limbs into artwork. The Australian curator came up with "Spare Parts London", an exhibition of altered prosthetics that has opened in time for the Paralympics, which start on Wednesday.
"I was cleaning my home and I found two old legs in my cupboard," said Ms Sutton, a below-the-knee amputee. "I thought it was a bit crazy to keep hoarding my legs." The exhibition, which includes works by artists from Britain, Australia, the United States and Japan, comes as people are paying new attention to the devices.
Public awareness of prosthetics has been heightened by the popularity of double amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, the South African known as the "Blade Runner". The exhibition will showcase the "Cheetah" - the carbon fiber running leg Pistorius uses that has a flex foot designed to replicate the hind leg of the fastest animal on land.
