GRAHAM, 2016
silicone, fibreglass, human hair, clothing, concrete 140 x 120 x 170cm
Graham (2016) represents a human designed to survive the trauma of a car accident. Commissioned by Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission, Piccinini created the sculpture in consultation with a trauma surgeon and crash researcher. Crash-proof Graham has a reinforced skull, no neck and a rib cage fortified with miniature airbags. While Graham is specifically meant to raise awareness about the vulnerability of the human body to road trauma and make us drive more safely, he also brazenly poses a question: If we could change our anatomy to suit our environment, shouldn’t we? Human genetic editing could, for example, eliminate the diseases of ageing or dial up radiation resistance and bone density to enable future generations to live on Mars.