Anatomic Study of a Monster, 2007–2016, 150x70x50 cm, polychrome plaster, metal
The intention is to create a homunculus, i.e., a simulation of a little man to whom life has been imparted, and in this way imitate Victor Frankenstein, the modern Prometheus from a horror novel by Mary Shelley of 1818.
Its production in my design does not have to be that difficult. As an imitation of a human skeleton, it is possible to use a wire mobile structure because it can be easily adapted to the needs of a plastic surgeon. I recommend to apply to this structure individual muscle groups in the form of the body of a Portuguese slug. Its body is ideal for movements of the monster. In an authentic way it will substitute for muscle activity, and it will happen every time it will be touched by the animator. During muscle contraction there occurs a movement of the body, limb, etc., and therefore an illusion of the animation of the “subject”.
This experiment really requires the services of an experienced surgeon, ideally with the assistance of an expert scientist specializing in this species. During the operation it is essential not to interfere with the nervous system of the slug. An experienced professional should not have any trouble with that. In this sense it is quite realistic to assume that the animal will not feel the penetration. The Portuguese slug (Arion Lusitanicus) is one of the most aggressive invasive species in our country causing great damage to the cultural and agricultural landscape. The fight against its invasion has failed for a long time.
It is a fact, which in my opinion is worthy of attention, that the body of the monster has the character of an “anthropomorphic phylum”1/, which in the world of natural sciences means a filiform anatomical structure composed of a plurality of animals which have such close ties or dependency that they begin to form a new higher animal unit, which as a result acts almost as an individual. I first learned about this phenomenon from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French religious thinker and scientist, who lived in the first half of the 20th century. 1/ Phylum is a taxonomic rank representing a hierarchical system which classifies groups of organism related to each other.
