Nudged me in the gut
Stelarc's Ping Body (1994) is a performance with computers, cameras, video projectors, vision switcher, vision mixer, sound system, internet, robotic arm, custom electronics. The artist has a symbiotic, parasitic connection with information distribution. Pinging is a network term to describe a signal sent by one computer to determine the presence of another. In Ping Body, a remote audience could not only access but also stimulate Stelarc's body via the internet. Through a website interface, one could ping various limbs with an electric signal, causing involuntary movements in the artist's body. Controlled by internet users, Stelarc demonstrates just how physical online exposure can be. (Edward A. Shanken, Art & Electronic Media, 2001)