Third Hand is a mechanical human-like hand designed to be attached to Stelarc’s right arm as an additional hand. The motions of the hand are controlled by the electrical signals of the muscles, typically from the abdominal and leg muscles for independent movements of the three hands. The hand was completed in 1980 in Yokohama. It was based on a prototype developed at Waseda University, but with additional capabilities. It was constructed with the assistance of Imasen in Nagoya. It has been used in performances by the artist between 1980- 1998 in Japan, the USA, Europe and Australia. It has become the best- known and longest-used performance object for the artist. Originally it was designed as a semi- permanent attachment to the body, but because of skin irritation from electrode gel and the weight of the hand, support structure and the battery pack (approx. 2 kg), it could not be worn continuously and thus it became a special performance device. The Third Hand has come to stand for a body of work that explored intimate interface of technology and prosthetic augmentation- not as a replacement but rather as an addition to the body. A prosthesis not as a sign of lack, but rather a symptom of excess. The Third Hand performances, with amplified body signals and sounds, have contributed to cyborg discourses on the body, included in later performances such as Fractal Flesh, Ping Body,and Parasite.
Credits
Performance: Stelarc
Photography: Simon Hunter
Robots used
A human-like mechanical and motorized hand replicating the artist’s hand, whose support structure fits over the arm positioning the Third Hand beside artist’s right hand. Materials include aluminium, acrylic, motors, circuitry and wiring.
