Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

 Consciousness can be described as “the state or condition of being conscious” (Vesna, Lecture 1 1:34 - 2:07). This definition however is fluid and provokes even more questions on what consciousness can entail for other items such as developing technology. Reflecting on this definition from the perspective of art and science it was especially interesting to see where the origins of neuroscience and the study of the brain began. It’s also interesting to see how we have advanced that and added new definitions to what we see as conscious or “thinking” with new technology. Like Anker and Frazzetto, I observed that as a society we are fascinated with neuroscience despite its complexities. Their perspective that the brain is a function of “personhood” and has a feature of “being” rather than “having” really sets a precedent for the fascination with this field (Anker, Frazzetto). 

Image of Hypothetical Robot Having Consciousness 

I was also especially interested in Freud and Jung’s conflicting belief and was surprised to see their main conflict was not directly related to their studies but related to religion. Freud seeing religion as an escape while Jung saw it as an expression of individuality and mortality brought a new understanding to what thinking was prevalent at this time. Jung’s view on religion does seem to tie into his perspective on the unconscious mind as an innate manifestation of different archetypes, further emphasizing the motif of natural individuality.  (Vesna, Lecture II 2:26 -3:19)

It was also shocking, yet not surprising to hear about Freud’s cocaine addiction and how it could have influenced his work, and completely changed the course of his validity and career.  (Vesna, Lecture III, 0:29 - 3:34). It’s generally interesting to see how the discovery and testing of these drugs were seen as positive effects because of their psychological affect, when in modern times it is known that narcotics do more damage than they do good. 

Flyer for Comedic Play about Freud and his Cocaine Addiction

Finally, I was fascinated to hear about how artists tap into the scientific concepts behind visual perception to create their art like with optical illusions and eye tracking. Learning about how the eye processes visuals changed my perspective on how to view art and how artists are expecting others to view their art. 

Daniel Jay's "Gunpowder Alchemy"

Works Cited 

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Anker, Suzanne. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 10, no. 11, 2009, pp. 815-821. PDF. Accessed 16 May 2024.

Jay, Daniel. “Neuroscience + Art with Daniel Jay.”  Interview accessible by private login on Bruinlearn. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture I.” YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 26 March 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF0Qt7L2-kM&t=56s 

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture II.” YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 26 March 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF0Qt7L2-kM&t=56s 

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture III.” YouTube, uploaded by UC Online, 26 March 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF0Qt7L2-kM&t=56s 

Images Cited 

Arvan, Marcus. "Can Digital Computers Ever Achieve Consciousness?" John Templeton Foundation, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.templeton.org/news/can-digital-computers-ever-achieve-consciousness. Accessed 16 May 2024.

Freud on Cocaine. Whitefire Theatre, 2024, https://freudoncocaine.com/. Accessed 16 May 2024.

Swafford, Joanna Elizabeth. "Daniel Jay’s 'Gunpowder Archemy' at Tech Art Fair." Digital Humanities at Tufts, 16 Feb. 2018, https://sites.tufts.edu/digitalhumanities/2018/02/16/daniel-jays-gunpowder-archemy-at-tech-art-fair/. Accessed 16 May 2024.