Sunday, May 17, 2015

Week 7 Neuroscience + Art

It's interesting to see how neuroscience and art connect with each other since neuroscience studies the brain, which is the object that perceives art. When we look at an object, like a drawing or a photograph, any feelings that we have for the object, either happy or sad, are activated because of the neurons in our brains. Essentially, our brains determine how we understand everything including art. That's why some scientists regard the brain as the ultimate secret of the universe. The story of trying to find out the answer of this ultimate secret began thousands of years ago, when Aristotle still believed that the heart was the key of human thought and emotion. Years after, phrenology became a hot subject of studying brain's functionality. More and more studies about the brain start and it is striking to see their results.

Phrenological chart of brain's functionality.

To start with, brainbow is breathtakingly beautiful. Scientists use fluorescent proteins to flag individual neurons with distinctive colors. It is not only aesthetic, but also essential in the process of studying connectivity of neurons. This example illustrates that people can indeed connect neuroscience and art.

Aesthetic brainbow.
Second, virtual reality (VR) is one of the emerging technologies that catches people's eyes. The idea is similar to what Mark Cohen does in the video. However, unlike the people who wear those goggles that can invert the world in the video, people who wear VR devices can actually immerse in a virtual world that is created by designers and developers. For example, instead of waiting in line in order to take a close look at Mona Lisa in the Louvre, people wearing VR devices can see the masterpiece right in front of their eyes. We can perceive VR as a hallucination that technology does to the brain. Some people worry that VR devices can make people forget about the real world. However, it is not like LSD that can potentially damage the physical aspect of the brain. 
Imagination of future VR device.

In conclusion, neuroscience and art cannot be separated. The study of brain will eventually find out the secrets of how we understand art and the world. Moreover, the more neuroscience advances, the more art and neuroscience will connect with each other.

Work Cited

Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious / Memory (Part 1).” Lecture. 17 May 2015. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLVQIwOn7o8>

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 2).” 17 May 2015. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xlg5wXHWZNI>


Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 3).” 17 May 2015. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E5EX75xoBJ0>

Cohan, Mark. Lecture. 17 May 2015. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eDq8uTROeXU>


Landau, Elizabeth. “What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience.” CNN. N.p., 15 2015. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/15/health/art-brain-mind/index.html>.
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 18, 2015 at 9:51 AM

    Siyu,

    I was interested that you decided to show a manipulated image when talking about virtual reality. I wonder if you have ever heard of/seen the Oculus Rift. The Oculus Rift was actually designed as a 3D gaming platform, but it's virtual reality. The graphics are not particularly up to snuff just yet but there is a pretty terrifying game that has been introduced on the platform where the player must explore a haunted house that keeps changing. Watching people play it is quite entertaining and they all say it feels like they're really there, hence the terror. The Oculus creates a en entire three-dimensional so wherever the user moves their head, there is something to see. Walking through the world is controlled by a controller like Playstation or Xbox.

    The Windows Hololens is also a new piece of technology that was showcased which is similar to technology you would see Iron Man/Tony Stark use. It creates a virtual world that you can interact with within your actual world. So you could have a virtual dog hang out with you on the couch or design rooms, speak to people on a floating virtual screen. It's all very crazy and interesting.

    Sarah Weldy

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    1. UnknownMay 18, 2015 at 10:08 AM

      Hi Sarah,

      Thanks for pointing out those cutting-edged devices. I totally agree with you that these devices are great. But I did not mentioned them because I don't want to make people narrow their ideas of VR to some specific devices like Oculus Rift and Hololens. I wish people can expand their imagination beyond what exists right now.

      Thanks,
      Siyu Chen

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