Intimacies of Artifice Heather Sisk ’93 on Acrylics, Silicone, and the Human Spirit “Skin may be our largest organ, but the human spirit is larger.” – Heather Sisk ’93 A resident in the art and anatomy of facial prosthetics, Heather Sisk knows that bodies are not inevitable. For her patients, people disfigured at birth or by illness or injury, the organs she crafts allow a sense of return to social normalcy—to work, to play, to love without fear of being viewed unsightly. Her trade is one of rigorous finesse, rendering synthetics such as silicone and acrylics into flesh. The science of anaplastology—literally, the study of that which is formed anew—occurs in an intimate clinical environment. But sculpting a human eye, ear, or nose demands much more than technical expertise; it requires a sense of personhood. Spending hours and years working with a cancer patient, a veteran, or a survivor of domestic abuse, an anaplastologist learns the moods and modes of being that inform her patients’ everyday lives—from talk of weather to memories of war. Stories are embodied in each part she produces. From this social space emerges an organ both artifice and original. “Once you have spent time with such an individual you begin to lose an objective sense of what is ’normal’,” Heather says. “I believe this is so because you are in relationship. It is surprising to me sometimes when patients respond with such gratitude and tears in their eyes when I deliver a body part that is essentially fake. But they are out in the world encountering strangers daily, and it speaks loudly to how important it is for us to appear acceptable to others. There is a real sense that appearing whole assists the patient in feeling spiritually okay and well with the world around them. I think a definition for ’human being’ is to be in relationship.” Heather’s interest in human relation and her journey to anaplastology began with her COA senior project, a study on the use of masks as vehicles of transformation across religions. Transferring from Earlham College, Heather found inspiration in the intersections among philosophies of science and art, as well as the culture of museums. After graduation she pursued museum studies, working at natural and cultural history museums in Arizona and on Mount Desert Island. After also working at the MDI Water Coalition, Heather realized she needed to address injustice from the perspective of individual suffering. This realization led her to a degree in theology, 18 | COA
during which she interned as a hospital chaplain at an outpatient oncology clinic. The difficult and very rewarding internship confirmed her interest in working directly with people, but not in an ordained capacity. As she finished her dissertation, she shifted from pastoral counseling to spiritual direction. Encouraged by the confluence of spiritual and bodily healing, it did not take her long to discover her niche—a residency program in facial prosthetics, offered through the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Columbia University. When finished with her three years as a resident, she will qualify as a licensed practitioner. She envisions utilizing her license not only clinically, but also to volunteer with organizations such as the International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery Foundation. She specifically resonates with their Women for Women initiative, which provides pro bono restorative surgery to female patients suffering from socially excluding bodily trauma. As a site of synergy for her pursuit of art and her training in pastoral care, the field of anaplastology provides Heather ample opportunity to practice her art, her science, and her spirituality. “I am very fortunate to have these patients in my life,” she reflects. “They teach me daily about the resilience of the human spirit. They humble me, reminding me of the mysterious nature of our bodies, our existence— and that beauty is by no means only skin deep.”