Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

"Neurons." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017. <https://www.pinterest.com/explore/neurons/>.
When I think of the brain, I imagine an interweaving web of nerves and neurons. The brain is an extremely fascinating organ and has investigated by many scientists and artists throughout the years. A recent project called Brainbow is a new way of visualizing neurons. This term is used to describe the process by which individual neurons in the brain can be distinguished from neighboring neurons using fluorescent proteins. This new technique allows hundreds of neurons to be simultaneously and differently illuminated. The resulting images from Brainbow have won many awards in science photography competitions because of how unique and captivating the images are as you can see in the picture below. Brainbow is an excellent example of how a deep understanding of the science behind how the brain works can lead to the creation of images that are not only beautiful to look at, but that also help scientists to further study and understand the brain.


"Brainbow Hippocampus." Greg Dunn Design. Greg A. Dunn, n.d. Web. 22 May 2017. <http://www.gregadunn.com/microetchings/brainbow-hippocampus/>.


Another intersection between art and neuroscience can be seen in the work of artist Suzanne Anker and neuroscientist Giovanni Frazzetto. These two individuals worked on a project called the FMRI butterfly. For this project, they used fifteen identical brain scans and at the center of each frame was an image of a butterfly on which was superimposed a different reproduction of an ink blot. Even though the butterflies were identical in each print, this artwork was able to use an understanding of neuroscience to create a kind of nuanced variation that gives viewers a subtle optical illusion.


Huante, Daniel. "DanielhDESMA9." Unit 7: Neuroscience + Art. Awesome Inc., 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 May 2017. <http://danielhdesma9.blogspot.com/2013/11/unit-7-neuroscience-art.html>.


Christopher deCharms describes a new technology that will allow people to look inside their brains in real time. Using this technology, people will be able to see which parts of their brains are activated. deCharms explains that by being able to see these patterns of activation in their brains, people can learn to control them. In the case of patients with chronic pain, for example, when they learn to control their brain, they will be able control their pain. This technology relies on a deep understanding of neuroscience and puts the person in control by letting them be their own artist in a way.




References:

DeCharms, Christopher. "A Look inside the Brain in Real Time." TED. TED Conferences, Mar. 2008. Web. 22 May 2017. <https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_decharms_scans_the_brain_in_real_time?language=en>.

Uconlineprogram. "Neuroscience-pt1.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 22 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.

Uconlineprogram. "Neuroscience-pt2.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 22 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFv4owX3MZo>.

Uconlineprogram. "Neuroscience Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2012. Web. 22 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EX75xoBJ0>.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews: Neuroscience 10 (2009): 815-21. Print.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 2: Math + Art

Image
Everywhere we look we can see examples of math, through patterns found in nature to the motion of things around us and everything in between. Before this unit, I had never really considered how much math actually influences art and how much art influences math. In art, if we want to draw or sculpt certain forms, we may sometimes need to use a mathematical formula. Also, the use of perspective in visual art pieces employs mathematical principles in an attempt to convey three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional canvas. Another example in which math is conveyed in art is through the use of the golden ration in architecture and other various artworks. Origami is traditionally seen as a form of art. However, over the years, people began to apply mathematical principles to origami. As Robert Lang explained in his TED talk, an intricate origami figure begins with a vision and a stick figure drawing of what the final product should resemble. Then you must create a blue...
Read more

Week 4: MedTech + Art

Image
Art is deeply engrained within medicine. From its very beginnings, medicine was considered art and if you used tools or technology you were not really considered a doctor. In the beginning of the twentieth century, however, technology began to be incorporated into hospitals, starting with microscopes to ever more complex technologies. Anatomy and dissection are really at the intersection of art and science. As far back as the Ancient Egyptians, people have been interested in understanding the human body in more depth. This desire to be able to see the human body from the inside gave rise to x-rays, MRIs, and CAT scans. The CAT scan, for example, records sections at different parts of the human body—like the visible human project but without actually cutting the body open. A sample of The Visible Human Project. ("The Visible Human Project - Color Cryosections." U.S. National Library of Medicine . National Institutes of Health, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2...
Read more

Week 1: Two Cultures

Image
In 1959, Charles Percy Snow gave a presentation on The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution in which he identified two cultures with literary intellectuals on one side and natural sciences on the other side. He indicated that the curricula of schools and universities are the problem that create two cultures. In his second essay, Snow suggested that a third, new culture would emerge that would close the gap between intellectuals and scientists. Even though intellectuals and scientists can be said to be physically separated on UCLA’s campus, the university attempts to bridge this gap by requiring students to take general educations classes that cover a broad range of subjects. Without these required classes, I probably would never have taken a class on the other side of campus. These classes have the ability to foster an appreciation in students of subjects that are very different from what they are studying. Especially after this unit, I am beginning to appreciate and underst...
Read more