Camera Made From 152-Year-Old Skull

[Sharon]

Sculptor Wayne Martin Belger is the artist behind this stunning piece, entitled Third Eye, made from metal, precious stones, and human remains.

Crafted from a skull that once belonged to a 13-year-old girl, this device works by briefly exposing film inside the skull’s shell and just like other pinhole cameras, there are no lenses, battery powered flashes, or any ability to zoom in on a subject.

From a green design perspective, the camera incorporates re-purposed and natural materials, but the use of a human skull created a stir about whether it’s ethical or not.

The sculptor stated he was inspired by gold and silver products used by priests, which represent the body and blood of a spirit. He also stated that each camera is intended to relate to a specific subject to be photographed: a gravesite. As intended, the sepia-toned, blurry photos taken with the camera give onlookers a chilling feeling, along with an appreciation for the odd, and beautifully dark imagery.

The skull was from a med student’s study kit in 1900. Then for about a hundred years it lived in an attic in England.

The use of human remains in art is an old, widespread tradition. Tibetans would carve skulls and do beautiful inlay work, and they would also make flutes out of human femurs. There's the catacombs in France or look up Prague’s Sedlec Ossuary, aka ‘The Bone Church’.

[-NocturnalPulse-]

Wow this is so cool. Awesome, thanks!

[The Krokodil]

That was fucking awesome and insane at the same time.. the fact that it was made from a 12 year old girl, gave it such a big twist.

[Ninjavandal]

I want two of those.