Stelarc: Artist or Cyborg?
Stelarc is an Australian performance artist who uses his body with technology as an architectural structure. He has used medical instruments, prosthetics, robotics, virtual reality systems, the Internet and biotechnology to explore alternate, initimate and involuntary interfaces with the body. He has created a robotic hand which is attached to his right arm, known as 'Third Hand'. It is not permanently attached to him but while it is on, it is controlled by EMG signals from electrodes positioned on four sites on the abdominal and leg muscles - contracting the appropriate muscles, made different mechnical hand motions. Another one of his projects muscle stimulating electrodes along with his Third Hand being controlled by online Internet users. Values are gathered from the users activity and caused areas of Stelarc's body to move. Most recently he has expanded the skin on his arm to allow for another ear to be inserted. He has hooked up a mini microphone which was tested successfully after the sugery and plans to have it hooked up to the Internet so people can hear the noises from where he is by just going online.
Knowing that Stelarc has such cyborg like qualities about him, most would think he is in fact a cyborg. However I believe him to be an artist. He is not uses them to help improve his everyday life or make him superhuman. He wants people to observe his work -that of the performance art - and he wants people to interact with his work - that of the internet work.
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