Neil Harbisson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil Harbisson
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| Born | 1982 (age 42–43) |
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| Known for | Performance art, Body art, Cyborg art |
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Notable work
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Neil Harbisson (born in 1982) is a British-Irish-American artist and activist. He grew up in Catalonia, Spain. He is famous for being the first person in the world with an antenna implanted in his skull.
Since 2004, many news outlets have called him the world's first legally recognized cyborg. A cyborg is a being that is part human and part machine. He is also known as the world's first cyborg artist. In 2010, Neil co-founded the Cyborg Foundation. This group works to protect the rights of cyborgs and promote cyborg art around the world.
Contents
Early Life and Activism
Neil Harbisson was born to a Spanish mother and a Northern Irish father. He was born with achromat vision. This means he can only see in black, white, and shades of gray. He cannot see colors.
He grew up in Barcelona, Spain. He started learning piano and composing music when he was 11 years old. At 16, he studied fine art. He was allowed to create art without using any color. His early artworks were all in black and white.
As a teenager, Neil showed his activist side. He lived in a tree for several days in Mataró, Spain. He did this to stop the trees from being cut down. Over 3,000 people supported him by signing a petition. After days of protest, the city decided not to cut down the trees. When he was 19, he moved to England. He studied music composition at Dartington College of Arts.
What is Cyborg Art?
Neil Harbisson calls his work "cyborg art." This type of art is about creating new senses and body parts. It is also about becoming one with these new additions. He compares his art to sculpting. His goal is to change his own mind. This helps him create new ways of seeing the world.
He calls this special part of cyborg art "perceptionism." It is the art of designing new ways to experience reality. Neil believes this is a "post-art" movement. This is because it blurs the lines between the artist, the artwork, the space, and the audience. For Neil, he is the artist, the artwork, the space, and the only one experiencing it.
The Cyborg Antenna: Hearing Colors
The Cyborg Antenna is a special system that helps Neil sense colors. It lets him feel and hear colors as sounds inside his head. This includes colors that humans cannot normally see, like infrared and ultraviolet. The antenna can also connect to the internet. This allows him to receive colors from other sensors or even from satellites.
Neil started developing the antenna in 2003 while in college. Other experts helped improve it over time. Neil has given five friends permission to send colors, images, or sounds directly into his head. These friends live on different continents. If he is sleeping, they can even change the colors in his dreams.
The first time an image was sent directly to his skull in public was on a TV show called The Stream. The first person to call his skull directly was Ruby Wax.
In 2014, Neil created the world's first painting transmitted to a skull. People in Times Square painted colored stripes onto a canvas. Neil received these colors live through the internet into his brain. He then correctly painted the same colored stripes onto a canvas in front of an audience. This happened 10 blocks away from Times Square.
The Solar Crown: Sensing Time
The Solar Crown is another device Neil uses to sense time. It has a warm spot that slowly moves around his head. It takes 24 hours for this warm spot to complete one full circle. When he feels the heat in the middle of his forehead, it is midday in London. When the heat reaches his right ear, it is midday in New Orleans.
Neil hopes that once his brain gets used to this, he can change his perception of time. He believes that if we can create optical illusions with our eyes, we should be able to create "time illusions" with a time-sensing organ. If this works, he might be able to stretch or control how he experiences time.
BlueTOOTH: Communicating with Teeth
The "BlueTOOTH" is a communication system using teeth. It has two teeth, each with a Bluetooth-enabled button and a small vibrator. When one button is pressed, it sends a vibration to the other person's tooth. One tooth was placed in Neil's mouth, and the other in his friend Moon Ribas's mouth.
Both Neil and Moon know Morse code. This allows them to communicate by sending vibrations from tooth to tooth. They first showed this system in São Paulo, Brazil.
Art Performances and Exhibitions
Neil Harbisson's art is considered very unique. It has been ranked among the most surprising art performances ever. His work focuses on creating new senses. He also creates art using these new senses.
His main artworks have been shown in many places. These include the 54th Venice Biennale in Italy. They have also been displayed at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in South Korea. Other locations include Museumsquartier in Austria and Pioneer Works in New York.
Neil has created a series called "Sound Portraits." He stands in front of a person and points his antenna at their face. He writes down the different musical notes he hears from their colors. Later, he turns these notes into a sound file. He has created live sound portraits of many famous people. These include Philip Glass, Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino.
His "Colour Scores" are paintings. They are based on turning sounds, music, or voices into colors. In 2009, Neil published the Human Colour Wheel. This was based on the colors of hundreds of human skins. He found that humans are not truly black or white. Instead, they are different shades of orange.
Neil has also created "Capital Colours." This is a series of artworks showing the main colors of different cities he has visited. He scans the colors of each city. Then he represents it with at least two main colors.
Neil Harbisson in the Media
Neil Harbisson has helped people learn more about cyborgs. He also teaches about artificial senses and human evolution. He often gives talks at universities and conferences. He has spoken to thousands of people. He has taken part in many festivals. These include science, music, fashion, and art events. He has been a popular topic on Twitter many times.
In 2013, a short film about Neil won a big award at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2015, a black and white documentary about him called Hearing Colors won an award at the Tribeca Film Festival.
He has appeared in documentaries by the Discovery Channel. He has also been on many TV and radio shows. He has been featured in newspapers and magazines. These include The New York Times and Wired.
Activism for Cyborg Rights
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In 2004, Neil's British passport was almost not renewed. The UK Passport Office did not want a photo of him with an electronic device on his head. Neil wrote back to them. He explained that he identified as a cyborg. He said his antenna should be seen as a body organ, not just a device. After weeks of discussion, his photo was accepted.
In 2011, during a protest in Barcelona, police damaged Neil's antenna. They thought they were being filmed. Neil filed a complaint. He said it was physical aggression, not just damage to property. This is because he sees the antenna as part of his body.
Collaborations
Neil Harbisson has worked closely with his childhood friend, Moon Ribas. She is also a cyborg artist. They have done many performances and art projects together. His first performances as a cyborg were at Dartington College of Arts. He used pianos and worked with other students. He has also performed with artist Pau Riba. They both share an interest in cyborgs. One of their projects together is called Avigram.
See also
In Spanish: Neil Harbisson para niños
- Andy Warhol
- Moon Ribas
- Cyborg Foundation
