Skip to main content

Week 7 Neuroscience and Art


Neuroscience and Art 

Neuroscience (University of Pittsburg)

Neuroscience, the study of the brain, has yet to find answers to its various questions. Within neuroscience, the topic/question of consciousness was what gathered most interest from society (Vesna). The topic was made famous by a neurologist Sigmund Freud who divided the mind into two categories: conscious and unconscious. He claimed that the unconscious state of our mind, most commonly seen as we dream, is limited and harmful compared to our conscious side (Vesna). However, psychiatrist Jung disagreed, as he claimed that the unconscious state can actually be beneficial for our minds. Jung most strongly disagreed with Freud’s negative perspective of religion. He wrote that religion was a safe haven for human mind, and through the use of our minds’ unconsciousness (especially dreaming), religion has potential to invoke a psychic, archetypal power (Jung). 

Graphic display of the brain (Yunus)

The debate of consciousness continues to this day. Because neuroscience is a relatively new field, much discoveries still need to be made before any theories can be confirmed. One notable contribution to this field was by Albert Hofmann who developed LSD, a psychedelic drug, as a cure to psychiatric problems (Vesna). Although the drug has been made illegal, the use of the substance is still prevalent today. In fact, studies showed that LSD produces a higher level of consciousness in human minds (Johnston). Although these “higher” levels don’t equate to a “better” state of mind, the use of the drug has been proposed as a viable treatment to therapeutic problems (Johnston). Additionally, the drug has widely been used as a way to boost creativity especially amongst individuals in the technology industry, the most notable user being Steve Jobs, who claimed that LSD helped him become more creative (Reynolds). 
1950's LSD Experiment (Baverstock)

The impact of neuroscience in arts, known as neuroaesthetics, has also been largely debated. Neuroscientist Zeki claimed that the laws of the brain limit our capacity for art (Noe). However, Frazetto believed that neuroscience and arts has a triangular, bidirectional effect in our lives. He wrote that art allows scientists to be aware of the societal aspects of their work, and neuroscience discoveries influence how we perceive our artistic selves (Frazetto). 

Example of Neuroaesthetics (Rzai)

Questions have yet to find answers within the study of our brains. Our brain is a mystery that requires both art and science to help uncover it, as writer Jonah Lehrer once said, ‘science needs art to frame the mystery, but art needs science so that not everything is a mystery’ (Frazetto). 



Works Cited
Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. “Neuroculture.” Perspectives, vol. 10, Nov. 2009. Nature Reviews, Macmillan Publishers Limited.
Johnston, Ian. “First Evidence Found That LSD Produces 'Higher' Level of Consciousness, Scientists Claim.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 19 Apr. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/news/science/lsd-first-evidence-higher-level-consciousness-hallucinogenic-drug-scientists-a7690366.html.
Jung, Carl. “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man.” Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 10: Civilization in Transition, doi:10.1515/9781400850976.74.
Noë, Alva. “Art and the Limits of Neuroscience.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2011, opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/art-and-the-limits-of-neuroscience/.
Reynolds, Justin. “People in Silicon Valley Are Using This Drug to Be More Creative.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 22 July 2016, www.businessinsider.com/tech-heads-are-getting-inspired-by-lsd-2016-7.
Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience + Art.” Unit 7. Desma 9, 13 May 2018, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles, cole2.uconline.edu/courses/888567/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=16300821.


Photos and Videos Cited
Baverstock, Troy, director. 1950's LSD Experiment. Youtube, Youtube Inc., 22 July 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydor_2TaoMg.
Rzai. “Neuroaesthetics.” Rzai, DLS, 2016, rzai.ca/new/index.php/neuroaesthetics/.
University of Pittsburg. “Neuroscience.” Neuroscience, University of Pittsburg, neuroscience.pitt.edu/.
Yunus, Kamran. “The Bottom Line.” The Bottom Line, UCSB, 20 Apr. 2016, thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2016/04/effects-of-lsd-on-brain.

Bibliography

Baverstock, Troy, director. 1950's LSD Experiment. Youtube, Youtube Inc., 22 July 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydor_2TaoMg.
Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. “Neuroculture.” Perspectives, vol. 10, Nov. 2009. Nature Reviews, Macmillan Publishers Limited.
Johnston, Ian. “First Evidence Found That LSD Produces 'Higher' Level of Consciousness, Scientists Claim.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 19 Apr. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/news/science/lsd-first-evidence-higher-level-consciousness-hallucinogenic-drug-scientists-a7690366.html.
Jung, Carl. “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man.” Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 10: Civilization in Transition, doi:10.1515/9781400850976.74.
Noë, Alva. “Art and the Limits of Neuroscience.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2011, opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/art-and-the-limits-of-neuroscience/.
Reynolds, Justin. “People in Silicon Valley Are Using This Drug to Be More Creative.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 22 July 2016, www.businessinsider.com/tech-heads-are-getting-inspired-by-lsd-2016-7.
Rzai. “Neuroaesthetics.” Rzai, DLS, 2016, rzai.ca/new/index.php/neuroaesthetics/.
University of Pittsburg. “Neuroscience.” Neuroscience, University of Pittsburg, neuroscience.pitt.edu/.
Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience + Art.” Unit 7. Desma 9, 13 May 2018, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles, cole2.uconline.edu/courses/888567/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=16300821.
Yunus, Kamran. “The Bottom Line.” The Bottom Line, UCSB, 20 Apr. 2016, thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2016/04/effects-of-lsd-on-brain.

Comments

  1. AMMay 23, 2018 at 10:58 AM

    Hi,

    I like how you mentioned the concept of consciousness because neuroscience is a field that is still being developed and it is still very new. I enjoyed reading about the LSD experiment that Steve Jobs led it caught my attention. Neuroscience has a huge impact on the world but will gain more power as the years come.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Medicine, Technology, and Art (3D Printing)

“Simple Mens Muscle Anatomy” Technology, medicine, and art have been critically intertwined for a long time. According to Professor Vesna, one of the oldest ties we can see are through practices of plastic surgery, which originated out of war. She mentions that medical practices, such as plastic surgery, has been considered artistic performances from 4000 years ago.   Although in modern times art and medicine have become separate practices, both have been integrated to enhance each other’s practices through the use of technology. For example, artist and professor Diane Gromala developed a VR program to treat phobias, Parkinson’s, and anxiety that is used in over 20 hospitals in the US (TedxTalks).   One of the most fascinating and innovative amalgamations of art and medicine technology is the use of MRI and 3D printing. MRI’s have been used for medical purposes since the 1990s after its development by Raymond Damadian (Uttal). Soon after, artist Justine Cooper...
1 comment
Read more

Event 3 Blog Post: "The Science and Art of Sound"

Event 3: Art, Science, Technology and Sound Hamdan's Sound Waves (Hammer Museum) The event I attended was an exhibition at Hammer Museum that showed the works of the artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. According to Hammer Museum, Hamdan began this project in 2016. His project was an “acoustic investigation” of a military prison in Syria. This prison was unlike any ordinary prison, as it was known to be inaccessible to monitors and observers due to its conditions of leaving most detainees in complete darkness. Thus, Hamdan initiated his “ear witness” interviews to try to rebuild the conditions of the prison simply through the acoustic (sound) memories of the notorious prison’s former detainees. Hamdan incorporated sound-wave mapping technology to measure the sounds, ultimately reconstructing the sounds and acoustic leakage into visual form. Hammer Museum described his work as a way in which “sound becomes sight and sight becomes sound” (Hammer Museum).   Syrian Prison (Amnest...
Post a Comment
Read more