WEEK 7: NEUROSCIENCE+ART

Neuroscience, or the study of the nervous system, particularly that of the brain, has not only become an integral part of art, but also the concept of identity and human perception. The movement of the brain's neurons and the structure of the brain help us imagine and create art, but also allows us to perceive and interpret art. 

I found the article "Neuroculture" really intriguing as it discussed how neuroscience has evolved and become a part of culture, particularly in art, literature, and film. In addition, it discussed how understanding neuroscience may reveal the "underpinnings of our individuality, such as emotions, consciousness, the way we make decisions, and our socio-psychological interactions" (Frazzetto). I believe that this is very important as artists, through their work, can spur further research in uncovering the mind, as there is still much research to be conducted in understanding the brain. Art such as fMRI Suzanne Anker's fMRI Butterfly and Elí Joteva's Dream Augur contribute to the idea of neuroculture and the significance of studying the brain.
fMRI Butterfly (2008) by Suzanne Anker
"Dream Augur" (2017)  by Elí Joteva


















The idea of consciousness in Professor Vesna's lecture and the ideas in Mark Cohen's lecture also reminded me of the idea of image branding. Many companies use specific colors in logos such as red (which symbolize passion, power and brown (which symbolizes dependability and solidity) because of our natural attraction to them and our associations of colors with certain traits. According to some research, although we have a number of differing color-sensitive cones in our eye retina between humans, there seems to be some sort of normalization in the brain that allows for us to perceive colors in the same way (Color Perception). As such, I think that further research on the subconscious and the brain can continue to help us understand how phenomena such as this occurs.

Human retinas have a large number of cones sensitive to different colors.


Works Cited

Anker, Suzanne. FMRI Butterfly. 2008. Suzanne Anker. Web. 18 May 2017. <http://suzanneanker.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/wppa/thumbs/152.jpg>.

Cohen, Mark. "Neuroscience-Mark Cohen.mov." YouTube. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDq8uTROeXU>.

"Color Perception Is Not in the Eye of the Beholder: It's in the Brain." Color Perception Is Not in the Eye of the Beholder: It's in the Brain : Rochester News. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2017. <http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=2299>.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews 10 (2009): 815-21. Web. 17 May 2017. <http://www.suzanneanker.com/wp-content/uploads/2009-Anker-Suzanne-Giovanni-Frazzetto-Neuroculture-Nature-Reviews.pdf>.

Joteva, Eli. 2017. Sculpture. Mnemoawari, Broad Art Center.

Morton, Jill. "Color & Branding." Color and Branding. Color Matters, n.d. Web. 18 May 2017. <https://www.colormatters.com/color-and-marketing/color-and-branding>.

Sherwood, Jonathon. Eye retina. Digital image. University of Rochester, 25 Oct. 2005. Web. 18 May 2017. <http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=2299>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience-pt2.mov." UCLA, Los Angeles. YouTube. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFv4owX3MZo>.

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