Skip Nav Destination
Close Modal
Update search
NARROW
Format
Journal
Date
Availability
1-1 of 1
Remko Scha
Close
Follow your search
Access your saved searches in your account
Would you like to receive an alert when new items match your search?
Sort by
Journal Articles
Publisher: Journals Gateway
Leonardo Music Journal (2002) 12: 17–28.
Published: 01 December 2002
Abstract
View articletitled, Electric Body Manipulation as Performance Art: A Historical Perspective
View
PDF
for article titled, Electric Body Manipulation as Performance Art: A Historical Perspective
The authors trace the history of electric performance art. They begin with the roots of this art form in 18th-century experiments with “animal electricity” and “artificial electricity,” which were often performed as public demonstrations in royal courts and anatomical theaters. Next, the authors sketch the development of increasingly powerful techniques for the generation of electric current and their applications in destructive body manipulation, culminating in the electric chair. Finally, they discuss the development of electric muscle-control technology, from its 18th-century beginnings through Duchenne de Boulogne's photo sessions to the current work of Stelarc and Arthur Elsenaar.