American university teaches brain camera implantation to see the world with a third eye

by iface003 on 2011-04-19 15:45:28

Circular camera implanted at the back of the head

Wafaa Bilal

Bilal said that this art project would raise "major social, aesthetic, political, technical, and artistic issues." The decision to implant a camera at the back of his head was made because he wanted to understand things that are normally unseen and forgotten. Museum officials said, "This will be a three-dimensional experience representing real time and space," Badayoul said, "Once the photos are released, you will realize that the camera is just one method of artistic expression."

Bilal is teaching three courses this semester at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, so the university administration is concerned that the "Third Eye" project may infringe on student privacy. In a statement issued by New York University, it said: "As an art school, our responsibility is to train artists, we respect his (Bilal) right as an artist to freely create... We also take seriously the privacy issues raised by his project and its impact on students." However, some students expressed no such concerns.

The museum is set to open on December 30th, showcasing 23 contemporary artworks, including Bilal's "Third Eye." Museum official Sam Badayoul said that the camera implanted at the back of Bilal's head takes one picture every minute for 24 hours a day, which is then transmitted to a display at the museum.

This visual artist Bilal was born in Iraq and began living in the United States in 1992. He specializes in combining various forms of artistic expression, digital, and body art, and his works have often sparked controversy.

Bilal announced on the 23rd that the camera has been implanted, and he has started implementing an art project commissioned by the "Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar." The surface of the camera is circular, with a diameter of 5 centimeters and a thickness not exceeding 2.5 centimeters. Bilal will wear it for a year. He said, "I will live just as I did before."

Professor Wafaa Bilal from New York University has implanted a small digital camera at the back of his head, using a "third eye" to see the world. The camera will take one frame every minute and transmit it to a museum in Qatar for exhibition. This art project has sparked controversy at New York University, with the administration believing it could violate student privacy, while some students feel indifferent.

According to Xinhua News Agency.