Stelarc

HAHA (Hypertrophic Ambidextrous Hand and Arm) is a robotic arm that can be animated in four ways: through an autonomous generative algorithm, by an operator close by, in sync with bio-signals from the body, or online by remote users. An ‘eye-in-arm’ camera captures close-ups that are projected as part of an interactive video switching system, allowing the arm to show the world from its own point of view. Stelarc conceived it as ‘both an augmentation for performance and a stand-alone interactive installation,’ a device that can extend a performer’s body or act on its own. The work continues a line of inquiry that has run through his practice since the 1970s, from the robotic Third Hand onwards: the idea of the body as an evolving structure that can be augmented, extended and shared with machines and networks. It was developed with a large team of engineers, designers and sound artists, including Maël Vivien, Alexis Raynaud, Guillaume Morel and Victor Audouze. This video presents the arm in action.