english
polski
search
/ DCA ↑
The Third Hand
title
1997
year
STELARC
author
synopsis

Stelarc describes his Third Hand project (1979—1998) as an appearance, in which a mechanical human—like hand is attached to the artist`s right arm as an additional hand.

The movements of the hand are controlled by the electrical signals of the muscles contractions that are picked up, pre—amplified, rectified, and sent to the switching system. The hand, made from aluminium, stainless steel, acrylic and latex has ability to pinch, grasp and rotate in wrist, as well as is provided with a tactile feedback system for a sense of touch.  More  

History:

The hand was completed in 1980 in Yokohama. It was based on a prototype developed at Waseda University. It was constructed with the assistance of Imasen in Nagoya. It has been used in performances by the artist between 1980—1998 in Japan, the USA, Europe and Australia. It has become the best—known and longest—used performance object for the artist. Originally, it was designed as a semi—permanent attachment to the body, but because of skin irritation from electrode gel and the weight of the hand, support structure and the battery pack (approx. 2 kg), it could not be worn continuously and, thus, it became a special performance device. The Third Hand has come to stand for a body of work that explored intimate interface of technology and prosthetic augmentation — not as a replacement, but rather as an addition to the body. A prosthesis not as a symptom of excess rather than sign of lack. The Third Hand performances with amplified body signals and sounds have contributed to cyborg discourses on the body included in more recent performances, such as: FRACTAL FLESH, PING BODY and PARASITE. [source: adres strony artysty]

The artitst`s first and only appearance with The Third Hand in Poland was the Split Body: Voltage—in / Voltage—out performance presented 1997 in Wrocław during the 5th Sound Basis Visual Art Festival WRO 97. Stelarc performed in the historical spaces of the former Jerzy Grotowski`s Laboratorium Theatre, letting the audience to influence and manipulate his body with the attached Third Hand. The abilities of his naked body plugged into cyber—mechanical machine were extended and controlled at the same time. Electrical impulses generated and applied by the audience via electrodes attached to artist`s body resulted in muscles actions and contractions that were translated into movements of his robotic third hand. Such system, activated by people in the physical location using computer mouse, could be described as a new bodily presence, cyber—human performative appearance, in which the body becomes the object for physical and technical experiments in order to discover its limitations and the modes of its future existence.

Place and date of recording: 5th Sound Basis Visual Art Festival WRO 97, Apocalypse Hall, Grotowski Institute, Wrocław, May 4th, 1997

video



artist's bio
Stelarc (AU), b. 1946 as Stelios Arcadiou in Cyprus, is a radical performance artist who examines the potential of technology—based extention and evolution of the human body. He has made films of inside of his body, has performed with a Stomach Scuplture, Third Hand and Exoskeleton and completed 27 body suspension performances. His human—machine interfaces employ medical instruments, surgery, prosthetics, robotics, Virtual Reality systems, the Internet, bio— and nano technology.
The Surprising Spiral The Surprising Spiral
Ken Feingold
The Surprising Spiral
Executive Machinery Executive Machinery
Istvan Kantor
Executive Machinery
Lorna Lorna
Lynn Hershman
Lorna
Memory Theater VR Memory Theater VR
Agnes Hegedüs
Memory Theater VR
Cyborg’s Sex Manual 1.0 Cyborg’s Sex Manual 1.0
Piotr Wyrzykowski
Cyborg’s Sex Manual 1.0
Embodiment Embodiment
Piotr Wyrzykowski
Embodiment
The Third Hand The Third Hand
STELARC
The Third Hand
Lover’s Leap Lover’s Leap
Mirosław Rogala
Lover’s Leap
Virtual Sketches Virtual Sketches
Mirosław Rogala
Virtual Sketches
Doppelkonzert Doppelkonzert
Tibor Szemző
Doppelkonzert
Tractatus Tractatus
Tibor Szemző
Tractatus
Invisible Story Invisible Story
Tibor Szemző
Invisible Story
How music will save the soul of technology. Virtual Reality as an musical instrument How music will save the soul of technology. Virtual Reality as an musical instrument
Jaron Lanier
How music will save the soul of technology. Virtual Reality as an musical instrument
An Evening of Music for Virtual Worlds, Chamber Orchestra, and Solo Instruments. An Evening of Music for Virtual Worlds, Chamber Orchestra, and Solo Instruments.
Jaron Lanier
An Evening of Music for Virtual Worlds, Chamber Orchestra, and Solo Instruments.
Time Sculptures Time Sculptures
Ge-Suk Yeo
Time Sculptures
Living Sculpture Living Sculpture
Andrzej Dudek-Dürer
Living Sculpture
Paysages-passages Paysages-passages
Robert Cahen
Paysages-passages
CHOPINPIANO CHOPINPIANO
Robert Cahen
CHOPINPIANO
Middle Age Middle Age
Tomasz Domań„ski
Middle Age
Ping Melody Ping Melody
Paweł Janicki
Ping Melody
MtnCtrld MtnCtrld
Paweł Janicki
MtnCtrld
Mapping Chopin Mapping Chopin
Paweł Janicki
Mapping Chopin
Oceanus Oceanus
Paweł Janicki
Oceanus
EU_tracer EU_tracer
Paweł Janicki
EU_tracer
Opera przeniesiona Opera przeniesiona
Lech Twardowski
Opera przeniesiona
Generator III Generator III
Lech Twardowski
Generator III
PURA. Traces of Memory PURA. Traces of Memory
Lech Twardowski
PURA. Traces of Memory
Wieża malowana Wieża malowana
Lech Twardowski
Wieża malowana
Crash Crash
Wł‚adysł‚aw Kaźmierczak
Crash
Greenpeace Greenpeace
Wł‚adysł‚aw Kaźmierczak
Greenpeace
I Am Electric I Am Electric
Józef Robakowski
I Am Electric
The Third Scroll The Third Scroll
Piotr Bosacki
The Third Scroll
The Fourth Scroll The Fourth Scroll
Piotr Bosacki
The Fourth Scroll
Video Tapes 1969-2010 Video Tapes 1969-2010
Wolf Kahlen
Video Tapes 1969-2010
Place-Ruhr Place-Ruhr
Jeffrey Shaw
Place-Ruhr
A-Volve A-Volve
Christa Sommerer, Laurent Mignonneau
A-Volve
Interactive Plant Growing Interactive Plant Growing
Christa Sommerer, Laurent Mignonneau
Interactive Plant Growing
Platos Schatten Platos Schatten
Frank Den Oudsten
Platos Schatten
Frontiers of Utopia Frontiers of Utopia
Jill Scott
Frontiers of Utopia
Digital Body-Automata Digital Body-Automata
Jill Scott
Digital Body-Automata
Men of Vision: Lenin + Marat Men of Vision: Lenin + Marat
Peter Callas
Men of Vision: Lenin + Marat
Piano – As Image Media Piano – As Image Media
Toshio Iwai
Piano – As Image Media
386 DX Cyberpunk Rockband 386 DX Cyberpunk Rockband
Alexei Shulgin
386 DX Cyberpunk Rockband
Non-finite Performance Non-finite Performance
Anna Pł‚otnicka
Non-finite Performance
Non-finite Installation Non-finite Installation
Anna Pł‚otnicka
Non-finite Installation
Performance on Demand Performance on Demand
Anna Pł‚otnicka
Performance on Demand
Mikro Orchestra (ex Gameboyzz Orchestra Project) Mikro Orchestra (ex Gameboyzz Orchestra Project)
Paweł Janicki, Jarosław Kujda, Małgorzata Kujda, Tomasz Procków, Katarzyna Weber, Mariusz Jura, Marek Szpak, Jacek Podgórski
Mikro Orchestra (ex Gameboyzz Orchestra Project)
Telematic Dreaming Telematic Dreaming
Paul Sermon
Telematic Dreaming
Workaholic Workaholic
Perry Hoberman
Workaholic
NInA NInA MKiDN Wrocław Wrocław Wrocław Wrocław