Moritz Riesenbeck

normcore – measure me, 2022

Biofidelic dummies, basically reconstructions of human bodies, correspond to their proportions and physical properties. Mainly used for accident reconstruction, they differ in purpose and construction from the rigid dummies used in the automotive industry.
Two dummies, selected after high-speed crash tests, bear their marks. Their design gives them a human physical presence in the room. They look like the apparitions of unconscious people and trigger our sympathy, although they are nothing more than high-tech scientific tools. In addition to their placement in the art space and the associated tradition of thinking about and exploring the human body, they open up topics ranging from the numerical recording of the human body and its physical dependence on technology to the anticipation of body images and gender.

The installation normcore / measure me was developed for my graduation-show at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf Room 012, Klasse Prof. Schneider from 06 – 10.7.2022.

The installation Normcore / Measure Me was developed in close collaboration to “CTS - Crash Test Servie GmbH” the company which developes builds and tests the biofidelic dummy PRIMUS since 2017 in cooperation with HTW Dresden and the TU Berlin.

A biofidelic dummy is a complete reconstruction of average human (male) bodies. They contain bones, tissue, discs and tendons with the characteristics of our body-material. Because of its purpose to reconstruct phenomena depending on our body, the dummy as a tool becomes a sculpture with authentic physical expression, similar to antique sculptures of stone, formed into human bodies suggesting a posture.

Biometric face recognition is a technical way to recognize a person‘s identity. The face is suitable for this purpose, because it has enough unique biometric characteristics. Not only artificial intelligence, also we as humans identify each other by our faces. The face of a dummy, usually made out of latex, is taken off and placed on a hold system. It is spotlighted slightly so that the recipient is seeing their own shadowed face next to the one of the dummy.

„Shock Mount“ a steel construction recreated after a mechanism used in audio-recordings, isolating the microphone from the vibrations of the room. Scaled to human size a construction inspired by Fixateur Externe, a normed holding-system normally adapted to the individual bone, is holding a lymph drainage suite - full body pressure. In general compression on the body can support the process of sensory integration. Perceptual disorders can be alleviated by even pressure causing the brain to rest, similar to a firm hug.

A video positioned inside this construction is playing a video-loop, showing my naked body sleeping on one of the dummies.

location:
51°13’50.4”N 6°46’26.1”E

material:
PRIMUS-breakable biofidelic dummy, dummy‘s latex face, polished alumnium pipes, selfmade alumnium-connectors, steel, LED-Light, lymphdrainage-suit, CS-Taft curtain, hydrophone, stereo-subwoofer system, water, intravenous bag, PVC-aquaristic-hose, aquaristic, water manifold, laptop, tablet, 95% tinting foil on windows