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Arthur Elsenaar is an artist
and electrical engineer who ran his own pirate radio station and
built the transmitters for many illegal radio and television stations
throughout the Netherlands. Elsenaar’s recent work employs the
human face as a computer-controlled display device.
Arthur Elsenaar and
Remko Scha were named the recipients of the 2003 Leonardo Award for
Excellence for their article "Electric Body Manipulation as
Performance Art: A Historical Perspective," published in
Leonardo Music Journal 12. This annual award recognizes excellence in
an article published in a Leonardo journal. Excellence is defined as
originality, rigor of thought, clarity of expression and effective
presentation.
Elsenaar and
Scha’s winning article traces the historical developments of
using electrically manipulated human bodies as theatrical display.
Addressing the controversial aspects of this sometimes destructive
art form, they investigate the implications of electrical executions.
More often, they note the stimulating effects of electricity upon the
body, studying Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation as
implemented in the 19th century by Duchenne and continued in practice
today by artists such as Stelarc and co-author Elsenaar. Citing
technological advances that enable interactive nerve stimulation,
Elsenaar and Scha point toward a future of computer-generated dance
and theatre performances.
Arthur Elsenaar and
Remko Scha have jointly developed a series of automatic performance
pieces and video installations that involve computer-controlled
facial expression, algorithmic music, and synthetic speech. These
works have been presented at scientific conferences, theatre
festivals, and art exhibitions throughout Europe and the United
States. Elsenaar and Scha also explore the use of automatic radio
stations as a medium for computer art.
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