Technologised Bodies

A technologised body uses mechanical elements to extend or change the human body. Terms like "Cyborg" or "Posthuman body" will be named in the same context. There are plenty of benefits for humans becoming a cyborg. E.g. they can extend their abilities, broken body parts can be replaced, possibility to communicate all the time and life can just get more convenient. But such body mutations aren't always an improvement, sometimes it’s just different to a normal human body without any benefits. Furthermore, it can also be dangerous. E.g. loss of control, loss of direct contact with humans, overpopulation and the disappearance of human differences.

Stelarc, Third Hand, 1980

Several artists, especially performance artists, have attended to this topic. So it has Stelarc, an Australian artist, who has experimented with all kinds of human body extensions and changes. In his eyes the human body is just a structure, which can be improved with technology beyond its abilities. His work can be seen as a kind of self directed evolution. One very famous artwork was called ”Third Hand”, which will be discussed in the following videos, leaded by three questions.

Describe the work in detail

 

How does the work use technology to extend or change the abilities of the human body?

 

What issues does this work raise e.g. about today's society / about the effects of existing technologies / about the potential or possibilities that new technologies might have?

 
More information

• Stelarc - Third Hand