Date of Award

2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Art History

Supervisor

Bridget Elliott

Second Advisor

Kirsty Robertson

Abstract

The physically disabled are sometimes viewed metaphorically as fragmented and disrupting the notion of a self contained body. The view of the disabled body as fragmented affects the public representation in monuments. Adaptations to traditional monumental form, such as active movement, contain the perceived fragments. For example, Terry Fox’s artificial leg is featured prominently in his monuments, which show his disability without hindering the reception of his heroism; in this sense his monuments present an unfragmented body. Alison Lapper Pregnant by Marc Quinn emphasizes the fragment to confront notions of disability and to challenge monumental form. In Hartheim memorials the fragment dominates perception so that the body is not visible, and the fear of the fragment is heightened. The exploration of the fragment as metaphor for the disabled body in monuments is a way into understanding how visual code creates societal understanding of identity

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