Week 7: NeuroSci + Art

 Week 7: Neuroscience and Art 


            Nemo, Leslie. “Watch the Human Brain Come to Life in This Stunning Piece of Art.” Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024, www.scientificamerican.com/article/watch-the-human-brain-come-to-life-in-this-stunning-piece-of-art/. 

    The brain and consciousness have always fascinated me. Wondering what made us unique and able to do the things we wished just by thinking and then acting. So much so I wanted to be a brain surgeon and pursue medicine(then I found out how much school it took). However, while watching the lectures this week Professor Vesna mentioned the consciousness and how that has been debated by the likes of Aristotle -(Queensland Brain Institute) and studied heavily over the past century and I immediately thought of a past art talk on animal consciousness in art. -(Vesna) 

Library, Sheila Terry/science Photo. “Aristotle - Stock Image - C011/8420.” Science Photo Library, www.sciencephoto.com/media/441687/view. Accessed 17 May 2024. 

    This particular talk focused on the pigeon and the importance of this often overlooked bird in society. Going one step further in discovering the art made by said bird, which poses the question of whether animals in specific birds have consciousness. - (Blaisdell) The presenter would argue yes but by my personal definition, the answer is no. To be conscious is to understand what one is doing or at the minimum why one is doing something. This idea of intent and understanding as well as personal expression and artistic creation is no new concept to nature and its creatures however the idea of consciousness as humans know it is not found within the pigeons that made the art in said talk. Because they can’t comprehend each stroke of a brush or pencil like the likes of Basquiat and Davinci. They can’t express emotions in the way humans can and therefore are not creating conscious art. However, that is not to diminish the work of the brilliant birds in the ArtScience department. 


“A4 Posters. Pigeons 44 Breeds, Homers, Tumblers, Tipplers, Etc - Etsy: Pigeon Breeds, Pet Pigeon, Bird Breeds.” Pinterest, 15 Oct. 2020, www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/863213453573270744/. 


Citations : 

Vesna, Victoria. Victoria Vesna, victoriavesna.com/. Accessed 17 May 2024. 

“Understanding the Brain: A Brief History.” Queensland Brain Institute - University of Queensland, 23 Jan. 2024, qbi.uq.edu.au/understanding-brain-brief-history. 

“‘pigeon Art Studio’ - Professor Aaron Blaisdell’s Exhibition at UCLA CNSI ARTSCI Gallery.” “Pigeon Art Studio” - Professor Aaron Blaisdell’s Exhibition at UCLA CNSI ARTSCI Gallery | UCLA Art | Sci Center + Lab, artsci.ucla.edu/node/1733. Accessed 17 May 2024. 

Blaisdell, Aaron. “Pigeon Art at the Hive Gallery.” Medium, Medium, 18 Dec. 2023, medium.com/@aaronblaisdell/pigeon-art-at-the-hive-gallery-e10fc919794e. 

“Neuroarts: An Emerging Field with a Plan to Transform Health.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-effect/202202/neuroarts-emerging-field-plan-transform-health. Accessed 17 May 2024. 






Comments

  1. Heidi Salguero Desma 9May 20, 2024 at 12:08 AM

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  2. Heidi Salguero Desma 9May 20, 2024 at 12:10 AM

    This post brilliantly highlights the connection between neuroscience and art. I appreciate how you talk about the ways art can influence brain function and vice versa. Your example of how artists utilize their understanding of the brain to create more impactful pieces is particularly fascinating to me as well. It's crazy to think about the potential of combining these fields to not only enhance artistic expression but also to develop new ones.

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