Congratulations to Professor Stelarc, winner of an Australia Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in Emerging and Experimental Arts.
Professor Stelarc, a Distinguished Research Fellow and the Director of the Alternate Anatomies Lab in the School of Design and Art, has received a 2015 Australia Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in Emerging and Experimental Arts.
The Australian Council Awards are bestowed upon individuals who have significantly contributed to the Australian arts and cultural landscape; this year, ten individuals were bestowed an award during a ceremony in Sydney on 19 March.
Australia Council Chief Executive Officer Tony Grybowski says the awards are the most prestigious accolades the council has to offer.
“The ten recipients are widely respected by their peers nationally and internationally, and these awards give us the opportunity to reflect on their considerable body of work and the impact they have had on the arts in Australia and overseas,” Mr Grybowski says.
Professor Stelarc is an internationally acclaimed performance artist whose philosophy is that technology enhances the body’s capabilities. He has experimented with visual and acoustic amplifications within his body, using prosthetics, robotics, medical instruments, biotechnology and the internet.
The Australian Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in Emerging and Experimental Arts celebrates Professor Stelarc’s exploration of innovative ideas and challenging concepts.
“The award is meaningful not only for my past projects and performances, but also for the present research we are doing in the Alternate Anatomies Lab at Curtin,” Professor Stelarc says.
“This national award will certainly assist in generating more interest and interactive collaborations at Curtin and within the local arts and technology community.”
Professor Stelarc is perhaps best known for his Ear On Arm project, in which an ear has been inserted into his left forearm through a combination of surgical construction and stem cell growth. His aim is to implant a microphone with a wireless internet connection into his arm, so that anybody with internet access can listen to his conversations.
This year, he will be performing, exhibiting and speaking in Perth, Auckland, Toronto and Seoul.
