WEEK 7: NEUROSCI & ART

The brain is what allows us to think, create, move and just be. Its uniqueness and complexity has captured the interest of intellectuals across various disciplines, including both science and art. As neuroscience advances and we gain further knowledge about brain functionality, artists are able to further explore the interaction of art and the mind.

Back in the 19th century, Ramon y Cajal produced detailed hand drawings of brain cells, paving the way for future neuroscientists and showing how art and science can work together to study the brain’s structure. Since his work on neuronal theory and as neuroscience has advanced, artists continue to use neuroscience as inspiration for their work.

Ramon y Cajal's drawings of the inner brain from the NY Times

For example, as mentioned in the Neuroscience reading, Jonathon Keats used MRI images of his own brain’s activity to create art and highlight the association of the brain with one’s identity. Artist Suzanne Anker also explored the use of neuroscience technology by superimposing inkblots and overlaying a butterfly image on 15 images of brain scans, creating optical illusions in the mind of the viewer. Anker’s work thus plays on the inner workings of one’s nervous system when it comes to perception.

One of the fifteen images from Anker's fMRI Butterfly's piece

Our minds can play tricks on us without us even knowing, as Anker’s work shows, yet we can also trick our own minds using visual stimuli. For example, virtual reality has recently been used as a form of therapy for combat-related PTSD, known as Bravemind VR Exposure Therapy software. For war veterans specifically, they enter into a stimulated, peaceful war zone and the therapist adds in stimuli, such as floating bodies or explosions, encouraging the patient to confront past traumatic memories.

 

Photo from the Bravemind  VR Exposure Therapy software

This type of therapy enables clinicians to control and measure stimuli, while they track patient responses, providing a new way for doctors to study and understand the brain. Once again, art here is used to explore and facilitate our understanding of neuroscience. This example also shows how art can be used to override past experiences stored in our minds, highlighting the power of the brain. As technology continues to advance, it thus will be interesting to see how these disciplines continue to inform one another.

REFERENCES

"Bravemind." Medical Virtual Reality. N.p., 2017. Web.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10.11 (2009): 815-821.

Harris, Miriam. "What's happening in VR right now: From psychedelic art to combat therapy." Digital Arts. N.p., 21 Apr. 2017. Web.

Klein, Joanna. "Hunched Over a Microscope, He Sketched the Secrets of How the Brain Works." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Feb. 2017. Web.

Vesna, Victoria. “Consciousness/Memory” Desma 9: Art, Science and Technology. Los Angeles, CA. May 17, 2012. Lecture. Web.