Brad Nunn's creative exploration of prosthetic devices from the user's perspective has consistently found its form in whimsical and/or darkly humorous objects. Since the 1980s, his works have explored the limitations and possible dysfunctions of the human body, as well as the technological adaptations that attempt to compensate for them.

Reminiscent of the fretwork breeze panels seen in traditional timber ‘Queenslander' homes, Circuit 2003 combines traditional woodworking techniques with the imagery of computer circuit boards and the human neural network.

Inspired by a coronary pacemaker – a prosthetic device that is embedded in the flesh to assist heart function – Circuit was made at a time when the artist was questioning artificial intelligence and calling for more user-friendly, symbiotic prostheses to assist both animate and inanimate systems.

The use of carved timber links the work to fairy-tale customs of wood-choppers, carpenters and cabinet-makers. The paternal male heroes of children’s stories, these figures are most often portrayed as being possessed with a magical ability to create. The story of Pinnochio is the ultimate myth in this regard – carved wood becomes flesh – echoing Nunn’s ongoing research into hybridisation and the blurring between what is biological and what is synthetic.

Brad Nunn is an alumnus of Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art and Design, graduating Doctor of Visual Arts in 2004. Responsible for some of Brisbane’s most recognisable public artworks, his work is held in public collections throughout Australia.