Unit 7 - Neuroscience + Art

For this week, there was a lot of focus on the mind and how the mind interprets and perceives information and how people analyze it. An interesting quote appears in an article by Elizabeth Landau that comes from Pablo Picasso which reads, "We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand…” (“What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience”) This stems from the idea we understand and see art easily and try to understand how it may relate to the artist or real life. The are some cases in which art imitates life and is easily seen by the viewers. This subject also makes me think about the novel written by William Gibson in 1984, Neuromancer. The story explores the border between humans and machines and contains characters that crosses these borders. The main character of the novel is Case, who makes a living as a hacker by being able to jack into cyberspace (Neuromancer). This character feels the most alive when he is maneuvering through cyberspace which changes the way how he perceives the two worlds. He is more inclined to believe the cyberspace as being reality and what is natural to him. To him, his work in cyberspace is his artwork which would differ from other characters. It is interesting how the brain works since it is the part of your body that interprets art in its many different forms and how the brain works can be considered art as well. There are many instances in which patterns and designs that we see as art occur naturally, and the intricate design of our brain is an example of this. From the lecture, we learned about the technique called Brainbow, in which neurons of the brain are colored or illuminated that creates a collaboration of colors that show the connection of neurons.

Brainbow

You can also see art inspired by the structure of the brain in Greg Dunn’s work (Priscilla Frank, “Neuroscience Art”)

Greg Dunn, a Neuroscience PhD Student

Cited Sources

Landau, Elizabeth. "What the Brain Draws From: Art and Neuroscience." CNN. N.p., 15 Sept. 2012. Web. 17 May 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2012%2F09%2F15%2Fhealth%2Fart-brain-mind%2Findex.html>.

Gibson, William. Neuromancer. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Bradt, Steve. "Neurons as Works of Art and Science." Harvard Gazette. N.p., 31 Oct. 2007. Web. 17 May 2015.
<http%3A%2F%2Fnews.harvard.edu%2Fgazette%2Fstory%2F2007%2F10%2Fresearchers-create-colorful-brainbow-images-of-the-nervous-system%2F>.

Brainbow Hippocampus. YouTube, 21 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZCZV5-v3S4>.

Frank, Priscilla. "Neuroscience Art: Greg Dunn's Neurons Painted In Japanese Sumi-e Style (PHOTOS, INTERVIEW)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 May 2012. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/greg-dunn_n_1534366.html>.