ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the curatorial move identified as prosthetic or curator as interloper is framed in a specialised context of exhibiting contemporary architecture and design; and while there are clear points of crossover, distinct differences have emerged. In the case of international touring exhibitions, the prosthetic is a form of parasite that intervenes in the fixed structure of existing content with new material that brings a local criticality or new part to its host. The exhibition’s original opening sequencing was collectively reimagined and reframed to focus on this local context under the umbrella thematic of ‘speculation and experimentation’. The critical aspect of the prosthetic move, in this context, was to capture these previously untold stories and ‘collect’ them as a way of mediating to a public audience the design ideas inherent to the plural nature of Melbourne’s architectural culture.
