Two of the world’s most famous real cyborg arms actually belong to two entirely different people – but their owners are to have their first reunion in a decade when they meet together at Virtual Futures – a revival of The University of Warwick’s “CyberConference” which runs from 18th-19th June 2011. The two cyborg arm owners are:

Stelarc – who is a performance artist renowned for using prosthetics, robotics and virtual Reality systems including a robotic third arm, stomach sculptures, a prosthetic head, and a 6-legged walking exoskeleton. His recent “articulated Head” was a finalist in the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards, 2010. In recent years he has also had a human ear surgically created on one of his arms.

Kevin Warwick - who is a Coventry born Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, where he carries out research in artificial intelligence, control, robotics and cyborgs. One of the experiments he is best known for are his RFID implants which allow him to open and close doors, much like they technology most commuters have in their Oyster Card. He has also had neuro-surgical implants into the nerves of his own left arm to link his nervous system directly to a the internet allowing him to control a robotic arm located on the other side of the world.

They will meet together on Sunday 19th June at 1pm in room MS.02 at the University of Warwick. As well as being a reunion for them the event will be a reunion for many of the UK’s leading researchers in cyberculture and cybertechnology who first met at the three Virtual Futures events held at the University of Warwick in 1994, ‘95 and ‘96.

Conference organiser University of Warwick Theatre, Performance and Cultural Studies Undergraduate Luke Robert Mason says:

“This reunion conference will review the cutting edge work of a group of renegade academics who locked horns with the future based on the provocations of evidence provided by the emergence of the Internet. The event will enable us not only to reflect on lessons learned in the last fifteen years but, more importantly, explore new grounds and discover the potential held by advancements in society, technology, art and politics over the next fifteen. We hope to answer some key questions such as, what is cyberculture? What impact has the internet had on culture? Has it changed the world in any way? Is this the first movement defined by Cyberspace? And if so where has this taken us?”

More information on the Virtual Futures event can be found at:

http://virtualfutures.co.uk/

For more information please contact:

Luke Robert Mason
School of Theatre Studies
University of Warwick
lukerobertmason@virtualfutures.co.uk
Mobile +44 (0)7974 289804

Peter Dunn, Head of Communications
Communications Office, University House,
University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 8UW, United Kingdom
email: p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)24 76 523708 Mobile/Cell: +44 (0)7767 655860

PR65 23rd May 2011