#2. The Art of Being a Cyborg: Neil Harbisson

The term “cyborg,” short for “cybernetic organism,” emerged in the mid-20th century, blurring the boundaries between humans and machines. It was first coined by Manfred E. Clynes (1925–2020) and Nathan S. Kline (1916–1983) in “Cyborgs and Space” (1960), discussing enhancing human capabilities for space travel. Donna Haraway’s (*1944) “The Cyborg Manifesto” (1985) is pivotal in this discourse. She advocates for cyborgs as a future form beyond gender, humanity, and identity and a symbol of resistance to conventional power structures. CIFRA presents four unique Media Art Comics that will allow you to discover the definition of cyborgism as the different types of relationships between technology and organisms. This edition introduces us to Neil Harbisson (*1982), who is technology himself and the first person in the world recognized as a cyborg by a government. Check out other works by Neil Harbisson on cifra.com!