Unit 7: Neuroscience and Art
Because of my passion for psychology, I was very interested in this unit and learning how it was able to interact with art.
I found the discussion about “wonder drugs” such as LSD and Cocaine especially interesting. It is hard to believe that, when first discovered, these drugs were actually prescribed by doctors. Cocaine was and is used to create a temporary state of happiness, and even influenced some of Freud’s work including his book on the interpretation of dreams. LSD is a hallucinogen and allows people to form an alternate reality through the extraordinary images and kaleidoscopic colors displayed in their mind. The father of LSD, Albert Hoffman, expressed that LSD made him more passionate towards nature and gave him a whole new perspective on the world that surrounds him. This allowed for the creation of new art forms and influenced him to create new pieces that resembled the hallucinations that he experienced in his head.
Neuroscience and art have been combined to allow for many new technological advancements. One of these includes brain mapping, which helps scientists to see the different brain functions of different sections of the brain as well as determine whether someone is conscious or not. The idea that different parts of the brain are used to perform different functions is based on phrenology, created by Franz Gall.
Brain mapping can also be performed through fMRIs, which reveals images of the brain. Suzanna Anker is a bio-artist who included art within fMRIs by using butterflies as an overlay on the fMRI that creates a kind of optical illusion. This is just one example of neuroculture and how the brain and neurotechnology can be used to create art. All in all, our brain itself can be seen as an art piece.
Work Cited
"Artwork." Suzanne Anker. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017.
LEARY, TIMOTHY. THE PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE: a manual based on the tibetan book of the dead. CITADEL PR, 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.
L. Nasr, Susan. "How Brain Mapping Works." HowStuffWorks Science. HowStuffWorks, 14 Aug. 2008. Web. 22 May 2017.
"St. Albert and the LSD Revelation Revolution." Waking Times. N.p., 17 June 2016. Web. 22 May 2017.
Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience Pt3." YouTube. UCOnline, 16 May 2012. Web. 16 May 2017.
Hi, I found your post interesting, especially the beginning about how drugs influenced art. I definitely agree that art was heavily influenced by the drug scene (hallucinogens especially). The use of substances like LSD did create a new form of art, and it changed the art scene to include trippy and grotesque imagery. One thing I would like to know is if this was a beneficial change in art. Was it really a forward movement to use drugs to augment our perception and artistic expression? And, if so, why? Personally I feel like the drug scene polluted the arts with grotesque, aesthetically immoral works, because it is so far from reality and so harmful for the human psyche.
ReplyDeleteI love how you touch on how drugs played a part in artists work because I think that is often overlooked in the art world and is a way that neuroscience and art directly interact. I then enjoy how you go straight into describing more about neuroscience and art as to give the reader more insight as to what those two realms mean in relation to one another and more generally how they are used together. Very interesting post!
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on drugs and perceiving the world differently. It is crazy to me how often artists would use drugs like LSD and cocaine to gain new motivation. I find it interesting to look at art pieces that were openly created by the artist while on drugs. It allows the viewer to step into the artist's shoes and experience what they were feeling. Overall I really liked your post.
ReplyDelete