Fakery creates identity

With facial prosthetics especially, it’s important they are as misleading as possible. A ‘deformed’ face is seen as shocking. But making sure the face and the prosthetic are a good fit is not a simple task. The wearer has to constantly check if the prosthetic is still in place, for one thing. And they often need all sorts of tools to make sure the transition between face and prosthetic isn’t too obvious. Think, for instance, of theatre make-up, or glasses with a thick, distinctive frame. Finally, people that need prosthetics often adjust their own bodies by means of, for instance, self-tanning, so that they ‘match’ better.

Since matching a prosthetic to your face is so much work, wearers are often limited to such an extent that it limits their daily lives. Going out on a whim or coming along on a nice spontaneous day out are often not an option: where are you going to find a place to re-attach your nose to if it becomes a bit wobbly during the day? You’ll need glue, wipes, make up, somewhere to lay out all your stuff, a well-lit mirror, and most of all: privacy.

‘Misleading’ reeks of fakery, but sometimes, the ultimate forgery can be something really beautiful. A well-made prosthetic enables its wearer to be among other people and communicate with them. With a prosthetic that matches someone exactly, people look at their face, instead of their abnormality. A prosthetic made with love and craftsmanship, then, can give its owner back their identity. So perhaps Kaspar wearing his favourite glass eye at night was something he did just for him, and not for anyone else.