HUMAN+

Hope someone else hasn't done a post on this, my google reader has 1000+ posts in it! One of the most literally relevant Avant Garde related Exhibitions that I've come across is called HUMAN+ (or humanplus). It is a study of Human kinds increasing reliance on technology. It also comments on the trend that our interaction with technology is becoming more direct as technology advances. There are many very interesting exhibits on the site but a number stand out. One of these would be the prosthetic head by Stelarc.

Stelarc is Chair in Performance Art, Brunel University West London and Senior Research Fellow at MARCS Auditory Labs, University of Western Sydney. Stellarc was well ahead of the trend with probing his own body and how it will interact with technology in the future. His exoskeleton Exhibit is quite freaky. Annoyingly , and after the fact, I discovered he gave a talk in our local Gallery in Cork City, something that would have been great to attend. The Head is an AI of sorts, it is somewhat creepy and reminds me a bit of the Wizard from The Wizard of Oz. The user can interact with the head as if it were a person. Also check out http://stelarc.org/_.swf - here you can see the texture used for the face, it uses flash but if you click on the top right hand corner you can 'turn the page' a bit annoying but interesting. Judge for yourself.


Another stand out Exhibit for me is AREA V5.