With Internet Ear the Australian artist 01_Stelarc.jpg Stelarc, Stelarc ventures into a controversial area: Ear’, ‘Internet the fusion of the human body with Source file: [Biotopia-7745.jpg] & [Ear On Arm.jpg] 2010. technology. By means of a lengthy surgical process the artist had an artificial Uploaded: 01.02.2012 human ear implanted in his forearm. A subsequent operation then installed microscopic electronic equipment in this third ear, with a view to both transmitting and receiving sound. Because of the danger of possible infection it was impossible to give the ear a technological of hearing” and the equipment was “sense removed. But the ear is still attached to Stelarc’s arm. Ear on arm. Internet Ear, which was commissioned by PORT 2010 for the Biotopia exhibition, launches the Ear on Arm project onto the Internet. With this project Stelarc aims at the limitation of infection with almost poetic, or rather epic, implications. A series of his arm with ear have been cast in polyurethane. They do not see, but the world around them. “ear” The other factor at work in Ear on Arm, the exploration of technological sensuality, now becomes a sensuality that is distributed and expanded; a sensual technology disconnected from its original and, in principal, beyond its control. “host” We hear with Stelarc’s ear! The phrase me your ear”, in the words of the “Lend Beatles (and before them, Shakespeare (Julius Ceasar), becomes real. Stelarc actually does lend us his ear. But what will you say?
01_Stelarc.jpg Source file: [Biotopia-7745.jpg] & [Ear On Arm.jpg] Uploaded: 01.02.2012 Stelarc, ‘Internet Ear’, 2010. With Internet Ear the Australian artist Stelarc ventures into a controversial area: the fusion of the human body with technology. By means of a lengthy surgical process the artist had an artificial human ear implanted in his forearm. A subsequent operation then installed microscopic electronic equipment in this third ear, with a view to both transmitting and receiving sound. Because of the danger of possible infection it was impossible to give the ear a technological “sense of hearing” and the equipment was removed. But the ear is still attached to Stelarc’s arm. Ear on arm. Internet Ear, which was commissioned by PORT 2010 for the Biotopia exhibition, launches the Ear on Arm project onto the Internet. With this project Stelarc aims at the limitation of infection with almost poetic, or rather epic, implications. A series of his arm with ear have been cast in polyurethane. They do not see, but “ear” the world around them. The other factor at work in Ear on Arm, the exploration of technological sensuality, now becomes a sensuality that is distributed and expanded; a sensual technology disconnected from its original “host” and, in principal, beyond its control. We hear with Stelarc’s ear! The phrase “Lend me your ear”, in the words of the Beatles (and before them, Shakespeare (Julius Ceasar), becomes real. Stelarc actually does lend us his ear. But what will you say?
Biotopia_Master_Sheet_02_2012_progressive_MS_02.docx