BBC World Service – The Cultural Frontline – Digital Experiences of the Body

Our latest documentary went to air on 4th January on BBC World service- Inside and Out, Digital Experiences of the Body.

What happens when digital technology and our bodies start to merge? Zoë Comyns meet artists who are growing body parts with human cells, implanting technology into their bodies and questioning whether we can have meaningful relationships with sex robots. She will also meet an artist who exists only in the digital realm.

Amy Karle has been named one of the most influential women in 3D printing. Born with a rare skin condition, she grew up fascinated by technology and how it can be used to heal and enhance our bodies. As a bioartist, her work includes a human hand design made with 3D-printed scaffolds and human bone cells.

Lans King has surgically implanted a microchip into his hand as a conceptual artwork entitled “This is my body (of work)”. It contains cryptographic blockchain code which represents the work itself. It is perhaps the first artwork ever to be fully integrated within the body of an artist.

Kate Davis used mixed media images, soundscapes and video in her Logging on to Love installations. The series is influenced by the development of sex robots and how our identities might be manipulated as technology becomes more sophisticated.

La Turbo Avedon is the avatar of an anonymous artist. Nobody knows who the artist behind her is, as she exists only in digital form. You can interact with her on social media platforms and in online games. She shares her views on a possible future digital existence.

Image: Amy Karle (Courtesy of Amy Karle)

The first track in this programmes is

Oblivious from C by Yona – see bandcamp here: https://theyona.bandcamp.com/track/oblivious