The Third Hand Stelarc Analysis

The millennials. The newest generation. [IB1] Obsessed with technology to the point of complete consumption. It’s almost as if Stelarc could foresee the future when he created The Third Hand. Created over 25 years ago, its message of the overtaking of the human body by technology still rings true today — we live in a culture where humans and technology are codependent upon one another.

Stelarc is quoted in Themes of Contemporary Art as saying, [IB2] “[technologies] have rendered the habitat unfriendly to man and provoking the need to make use of artificial ‘cures’ for the safeguarding of individuals.”[IB3] Stelarc is also said to believe in the building in a less vulnerable human, one that more greatly resembles a sort of cyborg.[IB4] He is able to project his message onto his audience primarily through the display of his work. Stelarc poses nude, in a stance where his left arm is outstretched and his right is bent above his head, almost in a shielded manner. He is covered with modern technology from the 1980’s — specifically, there is a robotic arm attached above his right arm. The wires cover his body, with various energy sources and objects fixed to himself. [IB5] The overall impression is very avant-garde, and it is a form of performance art, down to the …show more content…
As with anything that breaks tradition, many people were skeptical about the new technology hitting the market and some people were hesitant to utilize the new items at their fingertips. The Third Hand shows the upsides of technology and the dependance that we have on it. It demonstrates the upside of technology and how it can make our lives easier through it’s ability to become a part of us. Stelarc always advocated for a more technologically advanced human - not the social norm for the time of his work- which is part of the reason he was able to break out as an