While prosthetic surgery is generally thought of in the terms of replacing a missing or defective body part, a group of artists is looking at prosthetics as a means of enhancing the body’s form and functions.



The Australian-based Tissue Culture and Art (TCA) project is growing a third ear fashioned out of the skin and cartilage of Stelarc, a performer who plans to implant it on his forearm.



This is the latest undertaking of UK-based Stelarc, whose many projects and performances explore prosthetic augmentation of the body.



At the heart of all his work is the artist’s belief that the body has become obsolete and seriously needs to be re-engineered.

“We’ve constructed machines that outperform the body in speed, precision and power,” says Stelarc. “Also, technology accelerates the body to attain planetary escape velocity.



“The body off the Earth can’t cope with the extremes of environments, gravitational pressures, etc. and requires technological life-support systems to function in these new spaces,” he told BBC News Online.



“The body can only be considered relevant now as a component of extended operational systems.”



Not simply a wearable prosthesis, but one constructed to be a permanent addition, the new ear has so far been grown to quarter-scale; a half-scale version will be built later this year.



Though surgical techniques for ear reconstruction have been around for quite a while, the artist has spent close to six years trying to get reconstructive surgeons to help.



He finally struck gold with the TCA; the group agreed to grow a tissue-engineered ear, which should eventually be grafted on to his arm.

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