Week 7 | Neuroscience + Art

    This week's material focused heavily on the combination of psychology and art, both commenting on how to bridge the gap between the two and also using psychology to create contemporary art exhibits that give you the best of both worlds. 

Art of Neuroscience

    One such art exhibit is the Planetary Re-Enchantment exhibit created by Professor Vesna and her teamwork with scientist Mark S. Cohen using electroencephalography (EEG) technology. The point of the exhibit was to bridge the gap between human and animal psychological interconnections by giving humans a chance to experience communication with octopi with a goal of having humans understand and/or experience how other species communicate and how it differs from how us humans communicate. While the goal of this exhibit was more to be environmentally conscious of other species we share this planet with, the experience would not have been possible without the use of the combination of neuroscience and art. 

Cristina Albu - CMA Journal - Simon ...

    Another approach which is explored by Howard Gardner in his book “Art, Mind, And Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity” is the combination of neuroscience and art via understanding how the brain processes creative and artistic thought. This study of how the brain essentially fosters creative thinking processes fascinated me, as it delves into the origin of art and the science behind artistic creativity. Gardner also focuses on how these same studies can be applied to real world situations and psychology, and how we can use what we know from these studies to our advantage.

Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

    Overall, this weeks topics gave us a fascinating insight on how neuroscience and art intermingle and can be applied to our everyday lives.


Sources: 

Albu, Christina. “Planetary Re-Enchantment: Human-Animal Entanglements in Victoria Vesna’s Octopus Brainstorming.” CMA Journal - Simon Fraser University, www.sfu.ca/cmajournal/issues/issue-ten--enchantment--disenchantment--reenchantment/cristina-albu.html?fbclid=IwAR1twyrqbeKqNrJSUXSihLVGvX_D9ARndxDv3USnw2pTENE_iXHJtIo8v54. Accessed 08 June 2024. 

Gardner, Howard. Art, Mind and Brain a Cognitive Approach to Creativity Howard Gardner. Basic Books, 1998. 

Zaidel, Dahlia W. “Art and Brain: Insights from Neuropsychology, Biology and Evolution.” Journal of Anatomy, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815940/. Accessed 08 June 2024. 

Suttie, Jill. “What Art Does for Your Brain.” Greater Good, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_art_does_for_your_brain. Accessed 08 June 2024. 

Gharib, Malaka. “Feeling Artsy? Here’s How Making Art Helps Your Brain.” NPR, 11 Jan. 2020, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/11/795010044/feeling-artsy-heres-how-making-art-helps-your-brain. Accessed 08 June 2024. 

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