Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

Week 7: Neuroscience + Art 
May 17, 2017 
Despite the fact that we have been discussing the intersection of art, science, and technology, I still find it difficult to train my mind to think of the products of science (i.e. images of the brain or of the body) as art. Perhaps this is the case because of the divide that society has placed between the two realms. However, after watching this week’s lecture and learning about projects such as Suzanne Anker’s fMRI butterfly and Luke Maninov Hammond’s jewelry projects, I have a new appreciation for being able to see how the products of science and technology - especially in representing the functions of the brain - can be seen as more than just science artifacts, but also as art.


Anker’s fMRI butterfly is an art piece composed of MRI scans overlaid with a Rorschach test, and then overlaid with an image of an identical butterfly on each scan. Because of the variation in the Rorschach overlays, the butterflies on each of the MRI scans look completely different to a viewer’s eyes. Her work displays the power of deception, in an art form, that our minds can sometimes play on us.



Luke Maninov Hammond is a neuroscientist by day and a jewelry designer by night. However, he incorporates his passion for and work in the neuroscience field into the designs of his jewelry. One of his annual exhibitions, Cerulean, focused on bringing awareness to motor neuron disease (MND). Each jewelry piece somehow incorporates both nature and the brain’s neuronal structure to make breathtakingly beautiful works of art that reflect both the beauty and intricacies of neurons in the brain. In this particular work, the root system of the flower seen below "was inspired by the micro-structure of neurons" (Hammond, "Cerulean Odyssey / 2015").

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/518c7187e4b082221e516313/t/5742d0ce22482e19cfde4ac3/
1463996686747/Cerulean+Odyssey+Luke+Maninov+Hammond?format=750w


"Roots of Cerulean Odyssey inspired by neuromorphology are set with white sapphires"
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/518c7187e4b082221e516313/t/5694ed92cbced6cfacea2010/
1452600732425/Cerulean+Odyssey+Luke+Maninov+Hammond+Flower+Sculpture?format=750w


 The works of scientists (and artists) like Anker and Hammond are helping to bridge the divide between art, science, and technology. Their works show not only how these three realms overlap with one another but also display the absolute beauty that is the human brain.





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References
Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews Neuroscience. Springer Nature, Nov. 2009. Web. 17 May 2017. <http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v10/n11/full/nrn2736.html>.
Ghani, Naureen. "When Arts meet Neuroscience..." PLOS | Blogs. PLOS Neuroscience Community, 17 Oct. 2016. Web. 18 May 2017. <http://blogs.plos.org/neuro/2016/10/16/when-arts-meet-neuroscience-by-naureen-ghani/>.
Hammond, Luke Maninov. "Beneath the Surface / 2017." Luke Maninov Jewellery. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2017. <https://luke-maninov-xlb0.squarespace.com/bts2017/>.
Hammond, Luke Maninov. "Cerulean Odyssey / 2015." Luke Maninov Jewellery. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2017. <https://www.lukemaninov.com/cerulean/>.
Moskowitz, Clara, and Lee Billings. "Brain Beauty: The Art of Neuroscience." Scientific American. N.p., 15 Dec. 2016. Web. 18 May 2017. <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-beauty-the-art-of-neuroscience/>.

Comments

  1. William ConnerMay 25, 2017 at 3:07 PM

    I have never fully understood how powerful MRI's are. Especially with modern technology and the incorporation of art in science, we are able to understand so much about how the brain works. Brainbow was very interesting to me because each color is designated to a certain neuron. I found your post very intriguing and overall it was thought-invoking.

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