Bio-Art: Human ear implanted on Sterlac’s arm

Bio-art
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Human ear implanted on Sterlac’s arm
Sterlac’s work is thought-provoking. CITATION Jes05 \l 1033 (Moo, 2005) argues that ‘art should provoke, disturb, arouse our emotions, expand our sympathies in directions we may not anticipate and may not even wish.’ In the sense of Moo’s definition, Sterlac’s work provokes, disturbs our emotion, expands our sympathies in many ways which we could anticipate.
One of his most notable works is he had a human ear surgically implanted into his left arm. The ear is a cell cultivated and has been grown in a lab. When Sterlac was asked about the ear implant, he said, ‘General curiosity about what’s possible, what’s plausible, what pushes the boundaries. Determining, for example, the psychological and physiological parameters of the body or how one can augment the physical body biological body with prosthetic attachments or robotic extensions or using instruments that enhance your sensory apparatus’ CITATION Dan16 \l 1033 (Holohan, 2016).
Sterlac has pushed the envelope on what is and can be considered bio-art. Many bio-art works are dead animals or photographs of biological processes. He has turned himself into living art work. He became the canvas. The person who conceived the idea or the doctors who made the idea a reality. So, in many ways Sterlac redefined art and many aspects that go into defining what can be considered art work.
Sterlac’s work is pegged on the idea of challenging the norm. having a third ear and creating or building it from scratch. Making the case that a human body can be created from a cluster of cells. Implanting the ear on the ‘wrong place’ is also a point of Sterlac’s art. The left arm is not the normal positioning of an ear. Additionally, the ear is under the skin. Thus, it is not an external organ like where normally ears are positioned on the head. Additionally, many forms of art are dead. They are not living artistic works with require physiological processes to exist. Most artistic works are not alive. Sterlac’s art is alive and it will cease to exist when he dies. What probably will remain are photographs and or sculpted pieces of his art or body....