Ear on Arm

Stelarc’s creations, or rather his experiments, aim to be as original as they are modern, even futuristic! Between science, technology and art, the latest project led by Stelarc and revealed at the Edinburgh International Science Festival did not go unnoticed. The Australian caused a stir by unveiling to the public his third ear, implanted on his left forearm!

To go even further, during the surgical operation the artist had also wished to incorporate a microphone into his new ear: he wanted to broadcast on the Internet what the ear heard, all of it sent via a Bluetooth connection. The idea was ingenious but, following an infection, the microphone had to be removed. Stelios Arcadiou explains his work to the New York Times: “the ear expresses the idea that we can now build additional organs, connected to the Internet, in order to function better with the technological world in which we live.”

“It is alternative anatomical architecture. I am fascinated by the evolution of the body’s anatomy. It is not about making the body better. There is no eugenic desire. Rather it is about experimenting with and exploring an alternative anatomy. It is about deciding whether we accept the biological and evolutionary status quo, or whether we question it: even if the body is wonderfully complex, even if it took millions of years of evolution, does the body not still malfunction?”

Stelarc’s official website: here it is