Well it’s not exactly an ear, but it’s close enough. It’s hard to describe this new body-art project from Australian performance artist Stelarc, so I’ll let his website do the work:
In collaboration with Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr of Tissue Culture & Art a 1/4 scale replica of my ear has been grown using human cells. The ear is cultured in a rotating micro-gravity bioreactor which allows the cells to grow in a 3D structure. The ear will be fed with nutrients every 3-4 days in a sterile hood. Once the ear can be grown with my own bone marrow cells it would be possible to insert it beneath the skin of the forearm as a first step to construct an ear on the arm. The skin of the forearm is smooth and would adequately stretch without the necessity of any inflating prosthesis. The ear on the arm could be constructed with less complex surgical intervention. And disconnected from the face, the ear on the arm could be guided and pointed in different directions.
The EXTRA EAR would mimic the actual ear in shape and structure and in addition it could have different functions. Imagine an ear that cannot hear but emits sounds. With an implanted sound chip and a proximity sensor it would speak to anyone who would get close to it. (Or if no-one got close it would whisper sweet nothings to the other ear anyway). Also, connected to a modem and a wearable computer it could broadcast RealAudio sounds to augment the local sounds that the actual ears hear. The EXTRA EAR becomes a kind of Internet antenna that telematically and acoustically scales up one of the body’s senses. But these functional possibilities are not what justifies or authenticates the project. It would be interesting even without any utilitarian use. Why construct an ear? The ear is a beautiful and complex structure. In acupuncture, the ear is the site for the stimulation of body organs. The ear not only hears, but is also the organ of balance. To have an extra ear points to more than mere visual and anatomical excess…
If I had an extra ear I would want to make sure it had mp3 playback capabilities and an AM/FM radio built-in. (looking at you iPod)
You can read more at Stelarc’s website…
(Hat Tip: WMMNA)
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