"Machines were once something external to the body, and the skin was once a container of the self and a barrier and an interface to the world. But once the skin is erased, once the skin is shed, once the skin is penetrated and stretched and extended with technology, then it's no longer meaningful to see the self located in its biological body." -Stelarc, from interview by Zurbrugg, N. in 21C, issue 2, 1995.
If you were walking down the street and a person passing you by had a computer keyboard plugged directly into his brain, would you freak out? What if he had camera lenses instead of eyes, or steel teeth, or a third electronic arm? I know I would find it downright surreal and start worrying about the acid I had last month. In one man's perfect world this might be the everyday. It may or may not come as a surprise to you, dear reader, that a visual and performance artist from Melbourne who, not only by his thoughts but by actions also, is heightening awareness of the high-tech realm of real-time cyber.Those of you who are familiar with the world of contemporary fine arts would probably already know of whom I speak. The man is simply known as STELARC, and in his own freakish fashion he is both interesting and repulsive, both the visionary and the mad professor, inventor and artist.
Since the 1970's he has been mostly interested in pushing the body beyond its commonly perceived limits, by throwing himself through panes of glass, pushing hooks through his skin and suspending himself above the ocean or city skylines, and more recently, using space age cybernetics and computer hardware and software to enhance, manipulate and transform his body into an interactive electronic cyber-being.
Stelarc's work is visually challenging, in that the use of the body is on par with some of the most daring of human feats. By using the body as merely a part in a machine he manages to de-personalise the acts themselves and create a metaphor for the human condition and humanity's ascent into the age of the post human.
It has already been suggested that western society could not function without high tech inclusions in our everyday lives, that in fact most of us would be absolutely hopeless without our cars, supermarkets, electricity and televisions, calculators, microwaves, computers, need I add more. In fact we would more than likely die out if it weren't for vaccinations, mass food production, and medical technologies such as pacemakers and simple surgical procedures like appendectomies. We are so far removed from the natural goings on of the world that the human animal is actually intrinsically linked to technologies and the cyber realm already. Stelarc supports that this is the case. He is also downright excited about it.
In Stelarc's opinion, the realm of the post human is actually the door to the further evolution of the human species. In a recent interview by Nicholas Zurbrugg (featured in 21C, Issue 2, pp.44-49, 1995), Stelarc commented that the main difference between the great apes and humans is the slight evolutionary changes in anatomical structures, such as larger muscles in the legs and lower back, or different hip sockets etc., which allowed these evolving apes to stand upright. The development of superior brainpower followed this as they could see further, and had their hands free to manipulate tools and weapons; the start of the technological evolution.
Stelarc suggests that the enhancement of our bodies to increase our freedom would lead to an actual evolutionary change in the human physique. There would be no difference in the effect on the human body if the changes to the body were naturally occurring rather than self imposed, as the result would be the same: EVOLUTION!
Stelarc has most recently been concerned with the human/machine interface, inserting machines and technologies, cyber systems etc. into his body, in an attempt to allow the body to act more precisely, more powerfully. He raises the question of "What it is to have a body and ... how one might redesign the body." He brings forth the possibility that the skin could be modified to extract nutrients and oxygen directly into the body, hence destroying the need to have gastro-intestinal organs, lungs or a circulatory system, so in theory the body could be hollowed out, allowing it to be filled with technologies to enhance it.
If you have ever read NEUROMANCER by William Gibson, all of this talk of cyber-extension of the body would be all too familiar, but if you are a cyber-fledgling or a techno-infant this may be all a little intimidating to you. I must admit that the limitlessness of these ideas astounds me, but it also excites me.
Now, to say that Stelarc is a madman is altogether untrue, although his maniacal and guttural laugh may suggest that this is the case. Rather he is a man with a need to communicate an important message to the public, and to challenge the public to ask of itself many important questions;
-what does it mean to be human?
-what does it mean to be entering the realm of the post-human?
-what is the function of the human body in the realm of the post-human?
-what aspects of the post-human era should we, the public be especially watchful of?
-how can we be assured that the post-human era is for the better and not the end of the bipedal human creatures that we are?
If these ideas haven't frightened you too much, and you are still reading this, I will bring your attention back to the man in question, Stelarc. With this man's forward thinking, and the exciting and challenging issues he raises, Stelarc performs a vital role in bringing these types of technologies and all their implications into the realm of public debate. Stelarc's visions are of a co-dependent society, where the borders between human and machine become blurred. To some degree we already exist in a co-dependent society, where we depend upon computers and technologies and they depend upon us. For those who agree with Stelarc's sentiments, the world of the cyber is inevitable; for those who disagree the world of cyber is just a foolish dream.
