The New Flesh

New Puma ads (click to make big) for a line of soccer shoes are once more playing with the man-becoming-machine-animal-centaur-cyborg-theme.
Although, the first thing that came into my mind was "Paralympics"! Is this a deliberate association?
After all I think that the Paralympics are becoming more and more fascinating each time. The clunky and horrible "spareparts" of yesterday have turned into sleek and fully functional new bio-mechanic bodyparts.

The transformation of man into a chimera of flesh, metal and plastic is fully exposed during the games. Gone is the sappy sentiment of "Oh, look what these poor people can do" and a new form of voyeurism has taken its place. We all become visitors of an exhibition of the most advanced medical and biological prothesis.

When I was three I must have been so fascinated by a neighbour, who was wearing a wooden leg, that I began to simulate his hunchback walk. My parents didn´t see the connection and sent me to various doctors who could not find the cause for my strange walk. Apparantly my mimikri lasted a full six weeks before I grew tired of it and decided to walk like a "normal" person again.

Another thing that immediately caught my eye on the ad: The buildings in the right, upper corner are clearly "inspired" by my psychotropic dreamhome