runelectriccurrents through theirheads; or – like
themaincharacter in
Limitless,
asci-fimovie from
2011–experimentwithmind-enhancingdrugs.
“A lotof these things seemedvery futuristic
but they’rehappeningmore frequentlynow, and
I’msure theywill increase,”saysDavidVintiner,
aphotographerwhohasbecomesomethingof
anexperton thesubjectwhileworkingon
The
Futurists,
his latestpersonalproject.
Theongoingportrait serieswas inspiredby the
LondonFuturists, a4,000-stronggroupwhomeeton
amonthlybasis todebate the impactof technology.
His imagesdepictvariousgroupmemberswho take
this toa farmorepersonal, andevensurgical, level.
“We’ve includedpeoplewhocanprovideastrong
visual story,”saysVintiner,whowas introduced
to thegroupbyacolleague. “It’sunusual and
intriguing.You’re justnotused toseeingsomeone
withanantennacomingoutofhishead.”
Aside fromNeilHarbisson, theseries features
start-upguruTianaSinclair,whoexercises
hermindwithabrainwave-powereddrone;Dr
CarolineFalconer,whosework involvesavatar-
basedpsychotherapy; andDirkBruereand
AndrewVladimirov,whohavebothdabbledwith
transcranialdirect-current stimulation (tDCS)–
electriccurrents to thebrain,whichare thought to
temporarilyboost intelligence.
Vintinerconfesses thatatfirsthe found the
sightofpeople likeHarbissonsomewhat shocking,
howeverafter talking to themhenowunderstands
their rationale. “Oneof the things I likeaboutbeing
aphotographer isfindingoutwhat thehellpeople
aredoingandwhatmotivates them,”hesays. “It’s
notas far-fetchedas itfirst seems.”
For transhumanists likeBruereandVladimirov,
whoseaim is tohelppushcivilisation forwardby
discoveringprocesses thathelppeoplebecome
brighter, strongerand livehealthy for longer, self-
experimentation isessential.Ethicscommittees
aresetup tofindcures fordisease,meaning that
processeswith thepotential tomakeone“better
thanwell”might takedecades todevelop.
If that’s true, then rather thandepictingan
eccentricminority, theseportraitscouldshow
pioneers.Mightweall oneday takepills to live
longer,useavatars toboost confidenceand
communicatewithother speciesusingour sixth-
sense implants?According toVintiner, it’spossible.
“We’reused toseeingpeoplewithartificial limbs
orhearingaid implants.Whynotanantenna?”
davidvintiner.com,meetup.com/london-futurists
Norwegianflies toLondon frommore than40
destinations.Bookflights,ahotelandarental car
atnorwegian.com
Don’t try this
athome... yet
Moveover, Fitbit. The
nextwaveofwearable
tech isdesigned tobe
worn
under
the skin.
Most devices aren’t yet
approved for publicuse
but they couldprovide a
peep atwhat our future
selveswill beusing.
Measure fitness
Circadia is a
smartphone-sized
pieceof hardware from
USbiotech start-up
GrindhouseWetware,
whichdownloadsblood
pressure andheart rate.
grindhousewetware.com
Open doors
RFID (radio-frequency
identification) chips
arepopularwithin the
grinding community
– they allowusers to
unlockdoors, sign into
computers and share
personal information.
dangerousthings.com
Get an new sense
Still in its infancy, Neil
Harbisson’s start-up
plans toofferwould-be
cyborgs the chance to
buy sensory implants.
So... would
you
want
an antenna?
cyborgnest.net
Plugging in:
theoutlet
forAndrew
Vladimirov’s
“GodHelmet”
“It’snotas
far-fetchedas it
first seems”
ILLUSTRATIONS SODAVEKT
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