My intention, in this project, is to show the wide contrast between the technologically-advanced medical prostheses made by engineers in developed countries and the 'D.I.Y./serendipitous' equipment made by charity volunteers in third world countries for handicapped people.
The genesis of the project was in meeting some volunteers from the French charity called 'Kinestherapeutes Du Monde'. It was while talking to these volunteers that I understood, in basic terms, that they have to learn and teach to the locals techniques on how to construct prostheses in some very challenging environments, such as deserts and jungles. The volunteers then have to make the prostheses with whatever is to hand, and with very limited funds. Thus, the Prosthesis project was born from my desire to link my professional photographic studio practice with the valuable work of 'Kine Du Monde' and disabled people.
As a still life photographer, I have a deep-seated fascination with products and objects and their appearance and design. It is this fascination that led me to start the photographic project by showing the nature of the equipment that the volunteers can make in such demanding conditions and with so little money. I then visited some medical equipment suppliers to see how professional engineers construct prostheses and other allied products for disabled people in developed countries.
I am still working on this project and my hope is to take further images which will eventually lead to publishing a book on the subject. My aim with this project is to publicise more widely the work of the 'Kine Du Monde' in the hope that this will attract greater funding for this valuable charity.
About the artist:
Born in France, Marc Beaussart is a young commercial still life photographer based in Paris and in London. A graduate of the London College of Communications, he currently works for magazines such as GQ, Mixte, 125, Red Collector... Other work is in advertising for clients such as Nespresso, Paris Aeroport, La Prairie, Orange...
Alongside his commercial work, Marc has always been involved in charity work in various countries. The roots of this lie in the fact that as he grew up, he was involved in the charity that his parents ran which took care of epileptic children.
Marc has also been invited to exhibit the beginning of the Prothesis Project. The first of several forthcoming exhibitions will be at the Paris Photographic Institute Gallery in Paris in the summer of 2012.
Marc is represented by Germaine Walker ( www.germaine.co.uk ) and C. Juliette ( www.cjuliette.com )