I’ve decided to do my project on the performance artist Stelarc. I plan to do a multi-media project (thanks for the advice Prof Tougaw!) I think a multi-media approach will effectively embody my thesis/project aim. Stelarc’s work stimulates imagination about the self and the body by opening the body to the world (both literally and metaphorically). I was originally planning to write about Hustvedt and self-healing through representation but I think I have more to say on this topic. I will draw on Hustvedt, Veigener, Casey, Lieberman and Noe. Last Tuesday, Prof Tougaw mentioned the dialogical power of the space between Veigener’s random facts. Similarly, Stelarc does interactive performances and abstract performances open to various interpretations. He is comfortable in the betwist & between. Hustvedt represents the self as fluid, dynamic and her approach to “discovery” mirrors this representation. I would like to use a similar format/approach. Noe’s thesis that the self can only be located at the intersection of self and world will be a central theme in my essay. Lieberman/Miller will come in handy because they emphasize the self’s dependence on others for existence. Since my project is about expanding imaginative horizons, I can draw on Casey to show that there is a fictional/imaginational element to the self. Also, since the self is such a mysterious, inaccessible and ambiguous concept, the boundary between real/imaginary is often blurry. It is therefore important to be experimental and creative when attempting to understand the self. At this point, I’m not sure exactly what my thesis will be but I know how I want to represent the self (as described above). I wonder if I should cover a number of Stelarc’s performances or fixate on only one? Advice much appreciated!!