In November 2019, I wrote the article “De la fiction à la science-fiction photographique” which was published in Science-fiction, prothèse et cyborgs under the direction of Jérôme Goffette. This work is part of a broader reflection on the evolution of prostheses and their impact on identity, perception, and the relationship to the world.
Reference of the conference proceedings:
Jessica Ragazzini, (2019), “De la fiction à la science-fiction photographique” in Science-fiction, prothèse et cyborgs, Jérôme Goffette (ed.), proceedings of the conference Science-fiction, Prothétisation, cyborgisation by the association Stella Incognita, Paris: BoD, pp. 199-215.
Hybridization of the Body: Between Compensation and Augmentation
Glasses, cardiac pacemakers, dental prostheses, hearing aids, breast implants, mechatronic arms… Our world is filled with technologies that mostly go unnoticed while profoundly transforming our daily lives. While some prostheses compensate for a diminishing capacity, others augment or modify bodily functions, paving the way for unprecedented abilities.
Science Fiction as a Laboratory for Prosthetic Experiences
My article examines the relationship between photography and science fiction through the evolution of representations of the body, the mannequin, the prosthesis, and the cyborg. By tracing the history of photography from the nineteenth century onward, the study demonstrates that this medium, often perceived as a purely objective capture of reality, quickly established itself as a fictional space capable of blurring the boundaries between the living and the inanimate, the real and the imaginary. Drawing on examples from art history, fashion, cinema, and visual culture, the article analyzes the ways in which photography constructs hybrid bodies oscillating between fascination, uncanniness, and desire. Mobilizing in particular the concepts of the “uncanny” developed by Sigmund Freud and the “uncanny valley” theorized by Masahiro Mori, this reflection highlights how photographic imagery transforms the body into a simulacrum, a prosthesis, or a fictional object. The study further demonstrates that photographic science fiction constitutes a privileged space for thinking through contemporary mutations of the body in the age of technology, biotechnology, and posthumanist imaginaries, where the hybridization of flesh and machine constantly oscillates between anxiety and fantasy.
A Collaborative Academic Work
My contribution is part of a collective work assessed by a university reading committee and results from a collaboration between the scholarly society Stella Incognita, the Academic Association for the Humanities (AAH), and the research consortium Corps et Prothèses (Bodies and Prostheses). It constitutes an essential resource for anyone interested in the evolution of bodily technologies and the implications they arouse.