The incredible thing about dreams is that they allow fantasy and reality to combine in interesting ways. Take Sophie de Oliveira Barata’s dream. Its roots started in special effects. Sophie was fascinated by how you can use them to trick the eye. No doubt she could have gone on to do great things within the field. But this was just the beginning. A student job in the medical field changed everything. This collision of medical and special effects led her to where she is today: designing stunning prosthetics. Her work pushes boundaries, helping people who have lost a body part to express themselves and create positive conversations around a topic that is all too often taboo. Her inspiration? She tells us it comes from the wearer, the brief of a performance or the exhibition it's intended for. But the result is always something exceptional.

Never a believer that a lost body part must be "replaced" with a prosthesis that matches it one-to-one, Sophie feels that the medical world lacks imagination. Her prostheses, by contrast, are true works of art. Fully custom and personalised. Each is functional, but also aesthetically striking and able to incorporate intriguing technologies adapted to the needs of their wearers. As Sophie merges the latest technology and traditional crafts, her work boldly explores many themes: body image, modification, evolution, transhumanism and empowerment. She has worked with dancers, models, athletes, musicians and even video game companies.