Designing for the future
Prosthetic Futures is a UK based radically interdisciplinary art/science research project. Supported by the Brigstow Institute (University of Bristol) and in collaboration with the Bristol Reconstructive Prosthetics Department, it explores the co-production of speculative reconstructive prosthetics.
During the project journey, a diverse team of service users with personal experience of prosthetics, artists, health professionals and reconstructive scientists are collaboratively crafting novel artistic creations to reflect upon the embodiment and senses of future prosthetics.
The publicly engaged programme uses hands-on visual arts methods and emerging design technologies to consider how reconstructive prosthetics may adapt to future environments. The project utilises innovative material science, 3D design and immersive digital technologies, whilst preserving traditional craft-based approaches.

Reconstructive prosthetics blend art & science
Prosthetics are bespoke handmade body parts crafted for individual needs. They are artistic pieces created in collaboration with a scientist that are moved, handled, and live up to daily tasks unique to the owner.
The modern world around us however is often designed poorly for bodily differences and there can be a divide for people to interact and live well with everyday solutions. Prosthetics are anticipated to need adaptation in the near future, including environmental stresses, sustainability and lifestyle needs. Their role furthermore is evolving, with new sensory experiences, self-expression and customisability for the owner.




Emerging Technologies
Novel technological approaches are opening new pathways to explore what prosthetics can mean for a user and how they are created.
New materials science, digital 3D design and immersive technologies are transforming the landscape and provide tools to problem solve, whilst maintaining traditional craft-based skills.
Together they offer a glimpse into what may be possible in our changing world.

BIO-COMPATIBLE
Materials safe for implantation into the body.
Novel materials science for form, function and aesthetics that are responsive to user lifestyle needs.

IMMERSIVE
Virtual and augmented reality digital technologies to visualise and craft prostheses with 3D scan data.
Digital problem solving integrated into patient care pathways and clinical decision making.

SUSTAINABLE
Prosthetic materials and processes responsive to healthcare sustainability.
Materials science adaptive to environmental conditions and user needs in the climate crisis.

3D PRINTED
Digitally designed prosthetics printed in metal, ceramic and silicone to compliment hand crafting.
Unique solutions to surgical problems in planning and during procedures.

Art Laboratories
The HRA (Health Research Authority) REC (Research Ethics Committee) approved project utilises art laboratories set-up in public arts spaces with resources bridging the interface of tactile physical making and digital technologies.
Through fine art materials and tools, laboratory equipment used for sculpting prostheses and immersive digital technologies, the group speculate on how reconstructive prosthetics may adapt to future environments.
Prosthetic Futures highlights co-design in reimagining the future of facial and bodily prosthetics and prioritises inclusivity and empathic design for richer solutions. The project offers a glimpse into a future where prostheses may be dynamically adaptive to environments, sustainable, customisable, but also a means of artistic expression, promoting a more inclusive and diverse perception of beauty.
Social Imagination
Art and design methods are well-suited for exploring prosthetics, which exist at the boundaries of the physical and symbolic body, connecting senses and environments, objects, histories and practices beyond ourselves. This exploration is inherently communal, with co-speculative design gathering diverse perspectives around shared concerns to broaden understanding and enrich outcomes.
This requires relationship building, shared values, responsibility and care. Creative making and reflecting on material processes are central to co-speculative art and design, pushing the boundaries of conventional forms. Doing so collectively through social imagination can allow groups to collectively envision what society could or should be through shared artifacts. This communal engagement reminds us of the potential to create visions of a better future.
ARTISTIC ENVISIONING
Prioritising hands-on fine art methods to explore speculative objects and craft novel creations.
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT
Fostering connection and drawing in broad perspectives with public engagement events. To encourage inclusivity and make artistic outcomes accessible and impactful.
INNOVATION
Taking risks with new ways of working, utilising new materials and technologies to create unknown outcomes.

COLLABORATION
Diverse partners working together as one team to design emergent frontiers in prosthetics, fostering a community of collaboration and invention.
"The Reconstructive Prosthetics Team at Southmead Hospital are delighted to be part of this exciting project. We are pleased to have the opportunity to share ideas and innovation with collaborators. This unique opportunity may even influence our practice and re-imagine processes that could help many future patients!"
Bristol Reconstructive Prosthetics Team
Meet The Team

Dr Simon Hall
Project Lead
Visual Artist, Art/Science Researcher and Academic GP

Ms Clair Crooks
Reconstructive Scientist

Ms Amy Davey
Lead Reconstructive Scientist
Reconstructive Prosthetics Laboratory Manager

Mr Ali Cobb
Consultant Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
Clinical Director South West Cleft Service

Dr Catherine Lamont-Robinson
Artist/Educator and Medical Humanities Researcher

Ms Misha Newnham
Reconstructive Scientist

Dr Julia Cadogan
Consultant Clinical Psychologist

" As a participatory artist, with a long-standing interest in diverse embodiment - I was drawn to this arts-based research, rooted in lived experience. The commitment to open-ended creative enquiry sits at the core of this authentic arts/science collaboration. I look forward to witnessing new knowledge emerge during the workshop process which transform current prosthetic forms."
Dr Catherine Lamont-Robinson