Julia_Berman DESMA 9 Week 7 Blog Post

It is interesting to consider the visualization of the intricacies of the human brain through art. The brain is a complex organ that scientists still do not know much about. In the exhibition Octopus Brainstorming, Christina Albu, Victoria Vesna, Mark S. Cohen, the Art|Sci Collective, and Patricia Olynyk illustrate in the following images how the inner workings of the human brain can be visualized through technology (i.e., electroencephalography or EEG technology) and colorful, artistic lighting. These colors are generated based on brain wave activity, and the exhibition is quite beautiful as well as educational in my opinion. It was fascinating to discover how the colors of participants, when paired, based on their EEGs, began as red and green light (top image). However, “As their brainwave frequencies synchronized, the crown and the octagonal table turned indigo [bottom image]” (Cristina Albu et al., 1).  I am interested in studying Psychology in graduate school, and have heard of brain imaging scans which show colors corresponding to brain wave activity and level of activity in certain regions of the brain. It would be fascinating to induce certain emotions (i.e., happiness, sadness, fright, surprise, disgust, excitement) and create an art piece with the different brain scans corresponding to these emotions. To me, it is incredibly intriguing to be able to use various forms of art to allow ethereal visions of consciousness to become tangible, as discussed in lecture.

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Initial image of brain waves from the art exhibition - Reference: photo fromhttps://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54

Synchronization of brain waves - Reference: photo from https://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54

Another fascinating phenomenon related to this week’s material is: the mysterious thought experiment of Schrodinger’s cat. “In the thought experiment, a hypothetical cat may be considered simultaneously both alive and dead as a result of its fate being linked to a random subatomic event that may or may not occur” (Wikipedia 1). This phenomenon is another example of how an intangible idea (i.e., thought experiment) can be made tangible through visualization and illustration, as shown in the images below.

Visual representation of Schrodinger’s Cat Part 1. Reference: photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat

Visual representation of Schrodinger’s Cat According to the "Many Worlds" Interpretation. Reference: photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat

Works Cited

Albu, Cristina, et al. “Cristina Albu: Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements 

in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming.” Cristina Albu - CMA Journal - Simon Fraser University, Simon Fraser University, 2016, https://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54. Albu, Cristina, et al. “Cristina Albu Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements 

in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming: Victoria Vesna, Mark S. Cohen, Art|Sci Collective (Part 1), Octopus Brainstorming, 2016, Luskin Conference Center at UCLA. Courtesy of Patricia Olynyk and Victoria Vesna.” Cristina Albu Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming, Simon Fraser University, Los Angeles, CA, 2016, https://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Albu, Cristina, et al. “Cristina Albu Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements 

in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming: Victoria Vesna, Mark S. Cohen, Art|Sci Collective (Part 2), Octopus Brainstorming, 2016, Luskin Conference Center at UCLA. Courtesy of Patricia Olynyk and Victoria Vesna.” Cristina Albu Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming, Simon Fraser University, Los Angeles, CA, 2016, https://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Demarin, Vida et al. “Arts, Brain and Cognition.” Psychiatria Danubina vol. 28,4 (2016): 

     343-348.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Intro (Neuroscience + Art Module Seven 

Lectures - Intro).” University of 

California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Design and Media Arts (DESMA) Course Webpage: Module Seven: Neuroscience + Art. Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Intro (Biotechnology + Art Module Seven Intro Lecture), 12 May 2022, Los Angeles, CA (Virtual Lecture on YouTube), Los Angeles, CA (UCLA Virtual Lecture), https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=4852536. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Lecture 1 (Neuroscience + Art Module Seven 

Lecture 1).” University of 

California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Design and Media Arts (DESMA) Course Webpage: Module Seven: Neuroscience + Art. Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Intro (Biotechnology + Art Module Seven Lecture 1), 12 May 2022, Los Angeles, CA (Virtual Lecture on YouTube), Los Angeles, CA (UCLA Virtual Lecture), https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=4852536. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Lecture 2 (Neuroscience + Art Module Seven 

Lecture 2).” University of 

California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Design and Media Arts (DESMA) Course Webpage: Module Seven: Neuroscience + Art. Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Intro (Biotechnology + Art Module Seven Lecture 2), 12 May 2022, Los Angeles, CA (Virtual Lecture on YouTube), Los Angeles, CA (UCLA Virtual Lecture), https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=4852536. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Lecture 1 (Neuroscience + Art Module Seven 

Lecture 3).” University of 

California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Design and Media Arts (DESMA) Course Webpage: Module Seven: Neuroscience + Art. Neuroscience+Art Lectures: Intro (Biotechnology + Art Module Seven Lecture 3), 12 May 2022, Los Angeles, CA (Virtual Lecture on YouTube), Los Angeles, CA (UCLA Virtual Lecture), https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=4852536. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Wikipedia. “Schrödinger's cat: a cat, a flask of poison, and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, San Francisco, CA, 30 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Wikipedia. “Schrödinger's Cat.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2022, 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat. 

Wikipedia. “The Quantum-Mechanical ‘Schrödinger's Cat’ Paradox According to the 

Many-Worlds Interpretation.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, San Francisco, CA, 30 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat. Accessed 12 May 2022. 

Wolf, Jasper. “Predictive coding: Neuroscience and art.” Progress in brain research vol.        253         (2020): 139-167. doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.06.018

Zaidel, Dahlia W. “Creativity, brain, and art: biological and neurological         considerations.” Frontiers in human neuroscience vol. 8 389. 2 Jun. 2014, doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00389

Link to Works Cited (in case of formatting issues): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MNJzbEIqtYRIfCZJ7aCm0hf16HJSmTZo5pFDY3UBz2U/edit?usp=sharing