About 12 months ago, trauma surgeon Christian Kenfield and crash investigation expert Dr David Logan briefed artist Patricia Piccinini on the science involved in common crash scenarios and the types of serious injuries seen as a result of crashes on our roads.
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Patricia then interpreted this brief – with Graham being the result.
We have come a long way in reducing serious trauma on Victoria’s roads, but our progress has plateaued and unless we make a monumental change we will not see the significant drop in deaths and injuries we need to see to move us Towards Zero.
Graham highlights how susceptible the human body is to the forces involved in transport accidents and how vulnerable we are. We will never look like Graham, but by showing us how our own vulnerability is at the heart of the road safety problem, Graham reminds us how our own choices are at the heart of the solution.
Unique features
Brain: Graham’s brain is the same as ours, but his skull is a lot bigger with more cerebrospinal fluid and ligaments to brace the brain when a collision occurs. His head offers greater overall safety, effectively protecting the brain and reducing the damage caused on internal impact with the skull wall.
Skull: Graham’s skull has been engineered to absorb more of the impact earlier. The structure of his skull is larger, more helmet-like in design with inbuilt crumple zones to absorb any impact energy. These aid in slowing down the momentum of his head as it moves forward on impact and increases his skull’s ability to stop the force continuing through to damage the brain.
Neck: When a car stops suddenly, we do not have enough strength in our necks to stop the head moving forward when speeds and forces are at play. Our head recoils forward, suddenly stops and then suddenly moves backwards causing an extreme extension of both the neck and spine. Our neck is placed under more pressure than its structure can manage.
The added danger is the spinal cord running through the neck. If it is to bend and stretch too much, it could break leading to quadriplegia or paraplegia.
This problem is resolved by removing Graham’s neck. This will make his head more resilient to injury at high speeds. The ribs, a fantastic form of protection, have been extended upwards to reach his skull, fortifying his neck with a brace like structure that protects his head from injury from sudden movement.
Rib cage: Graham has stronger ribs. His chest is large and barrel-like to withstand greater impacts. However, his torso is more airbag than armour, with organic airbags formed between each rib. On impact these airbags expel a liquid as they absorb the force and reduce his forward momentum. There is also an in-built added layer of protection for the heart and vital organs below.
Graham is on display at the Bendigo Art Gallery until October 30.