Art and Prostheses: On the Ways of Human Ectasy and Synchronization of Worlds

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of defining the boundaries of the human and its connection with the concept of “experience” in philosophical and art history. To be human means to have the experience of possessing a human body, this experience is constantly changing due to many factors: scientific and technical progress, the emergence of new philosophical and cultural concepts, new ethical approaches, and also as a result of the fact that art becomes a conduit of these new modern ideas. The author proposes to use the concept of ectasia (stretching) to describe the practices of human interaction with his/her body and redefining the boundaries of the body, i.e. to work with posthumanistproblematics. The question is then posed: can reincarnation, which humans have practiced since ancient times, allow for a “non-human” experience? For answers, the author turns to philosophical texts and works of art from the field of Art&Science that express themselves in the field of the described problematic. Art projects together with theoretical texts become a tool of analysis and the notion of prosthesis as a means of accessing the posthuman through art is discussed. Also art practices are considered as one of the methods of humanitarian research. The conclusion formulates criteria for determining whether art objects belong to “prostheses” that expand the boundaries of experience in the direction of interspecies communication. Such practices in the territory of contemporary art can be a useful exercise that trains mental flexibility and empathy for other species, and can contribute to awareness of the world around us and of ourselves.