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Lifecasting is the process of creating a three-dimensional copy of a livinghuman body, through the use ofmolding andcasting techniques.[1] In rare cases lifecasting is also practiced on livinganimals. The most common lifecasts are 3D hand casting,[2] casting of torsoes, pregnant bellies, faces, and genitalia and it is possible for an experienced lifecasting practitioner to copy any part of the body. Lifecasting is usually limited to a section of the body at a time, but full-body lifecasts are achievable too. Compared with other three-dimensional representations of humans, the standout feature of lifecasts is their high level ofrealism and detail. Lifecasts can replicate details as small asfingerprints andpores.
There are a variety of lifecasting techniques which differ to some degree; the following steps illustrate a general and simplified outline of the process:
A variety of materials can be used for both the molding and casting stages of the lifecasting process. For moulding,alginate and plaster bandages are the most popular materials. Different alginate formulas are available with different setting times and working properties. Choosing the correct formula can make the job much easier. Less common mould materials aresilicones,waxes,gelatins, andplaster. Plaster and gypsum cement are the most commonly used casting materials, but variousclays,concretes,plastics andmetals are also in common use.Ice,glass, and evenchocolate are used often as casting materials.Work is being done with imaging technology to map the skin's surface which may enable re-creation of the shape without touching the body. Since the weight of material deforms the body, if only slightly, this new technique may enable even more perfect work, but will not give the skin texture the above-listed materials do.
Compared to the moulding of inanimate objects, lifecasting poses some specific challenges and risks. Since the mold is made directly on the skin of the model, for safety and health reasons the molding materials must be non-toxic. The mould must not heat up too much or else discomfort and even severeburns could occur. The moulding process must also be completed within a relatively short time frame, usually a half-hour or less, since people have limited endurance in holding a stationary pose. Methods to allow the model to continue breathing must also be used when a mold covers the mouth and nostrils. (Generally the nostrils are kept clear, but not with straws.) If the model is captured with lungs deflated it will be impossible to take a deep breath. To prevent injury or trapping the model in the mold, the shape and position of the mold must be well planned prior to application.
Even experienced lifecasters can occasionally have trouble with snagging small body hairs, and the mold being somewhat uncomfortable. In rare cases some models can haveallergic reactions to moulding materials, canfaint from holding a stationary pose for too long, or can experienceanxiety from being enclosed in the mold.
However, far from always being a negative experience, many models actually find the experience enjoyable. The necessity of an extended stationary pose and the feeling of being enclosed by the warm moulding materials leads some to feel extreme relaxation or even enter intomeditative states. In relaxed poses some models even fall asleep while being lifecast. The application of the moulding materials can also feel like a softmassage. Models often compare the feeling of a face lifecast to the feeling of afacial.Beauty salons sometimes perform lifecasting when they apply plaster mixed with herbs to the face, over cream, with the goal of gently warming the face with the cream and herbs.
Lifecasting is considered asculpturalart by some, while others think it is more a technical skill and the work ofartisans. Critics of lifecasting as an art claim that it lacks the talent or creativity that more conventional sculptural disciplines require. This criticism echoes that heard in artistic circles during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries relating tophotography. As with photographs, lifecasts are sometimes manipulated, altered and incorporated with other media. Lifecasters are united only by the fact that each work starts with a lifecast. Artistic choices begin with choice of model, of pose, and of area of the body shown. Defining the edge is clearly a sculptural act.Probably the most popular alteration is to addpaint and variousfinishes to the surface of the lifecast.Duane Hanson is a contemporarysculptor to use lifecasting in his works. He reproduced the entire body including hair and skintone, and then works dressed and posed.
Lifecasting allows creation of exact portraits and body reproduction, works which may have artistic and personal value.Lifecasting is regularly practiced in thespecial effects industry, where it is used in the creation ofprosthetics,props, andanimatronics, most commonly forfilm andtelevision. Lifecasting also finds medical use in the creation and fitting ofprostheses anddentures.
Lifecasting has also found a niche market in the creation of personalizeddildos, which are the cast replicas of erectpenises. Several companies sell lifecasting kits designed specifically for this purpose. It is also possible to make moulds of the vagina as well, though the process is more complicated.
Pregnant women often choose to have abelly cast of their torso made between the 35th - 38th week of pregnancy to capture their shape.
Adeath mask is a similar process to lifecasting, with the major difference being that a deathmask is created on a dead person's face.
