N-ear the knuckle

An Australian performer who has had an ear grafted onto his forearm in the name of art has sparked controversy. Cyprus-born Stelios Arcadiou, known as Stelarc, says his extra ear, made of human cartilage, is an augmentation of the body's form.

But surgeons questioned whether such an operation should have been carried out, given the absence of clinical need. A patient who had similar surgery to correct a birth defect said she found the artist's work offensive.

Stelarc, aged 61, said it had taken him years to find a surgeon prepared to perform the operation.

The ear does not function, but he hopes to have a microphone implanted to allow others to listen to what his extra ear picks up. He presented his work to a UK audience at Newcastle's Centre for Life.