Wacky professor forced to get camera surgically removed from head

In December we reported on Wacky Wafaa Bilal, a New York University photography professor who had a camera implanted at the back of his skull. This was part of a project he was involved in, so he could see what was going on behind his head.

He has had it surgically removed since we first reported on it, last year. We would imagine that his students and colleagues at the NYU might be glad it is gone, as he looked like something out of a dodgy, low budget sci-fi film.

Bilal had the camera implanted last year as part of a project called ‘3rd I' and for the last couple of months he has been capturing images, one per minute and then wirelessly transmitting them to his laptop via a web site for public viewing.

Bilal's body unfortunately rejected part of the camera's apparatus, one of three posts which were inserted between his skull and skin that held the camera in place.

He tried steroids and antibiotics but it didnt help and last week Bilal had to get the camera removed under surgery, part of the system that was put in place by a Los Angles body modification artist.

This is not the end of the 3rd I project, which he was using to document his life. Once the new wound heals he plans on trying a different implant, with a more friendly style camera (?). For now he is going with a ‘belt and braces' approach. tying the camera to the back of his neck (Ed: Couldn't he just do that in the first place?).

He has said that this “arises from a need to objectively capture my past as it slips behind me from a non-confrontational point of view.”

KitGuru says: Is it worth the pain? he seems to think so.

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