Lecture 1 talked about how Suzanne Anker created FMRI Butterfly scans. The FMRI Butterfly takes normal brain scans and super imposes a single butterfly onto the scan. When the viewer looks at the the varying brain scans with the same butterfly imposed onto each scan, an illusion is created. The illusion is commentary on how the brain functions and how it can alter someone’s perspective. The MRI Butterfly scan was extremely intriguing to me because without advancements in technology, the public would not be able to explore or understand how the brain works. The brain and it’s function would be confined to our subconscious knowledge.
The MRI Butterly is also relevant to “The Spiritual Man”. In the reading Jung compares the subconscious and the conscious. Jung talks about how the modern man needs to be fully conscious of his existence and being a man. Jung believes that being conscious of what is going on around us and inside of us is important to our survival. Jung’s statement is really important because it conveys the idea that we are only able to adapt to the world that we are living in or try to change that world to fit our needs by becoming aware of what is going on inside of use. We will live better lives once we become conscious of how our brain works.
Laurie Frick is a engineer and data analyst who explores the subconscious and physiological diseases. She uses art as a way to display what is going on inside of an individual’s brain, the subconscious. In “7 days”, for seven days she tracks individuals use of their time. The data that she collected was translated into leather and aluminum color coded rectangles that shows how people used their time. The purpose of the art piece was to show people how they are defined by their time and how what people subconsciously do with their time and also to show people that their subconscious use of time tells them about their psyche and personality. Although the piece is not straight forwards, Frick exhibits the importance of knowing how the subconscious works.
Through art, new scientific advancements are being presented to people. Neuroscience and art has the ability to reveal the brain’s activity to people. Knowledge of the brain allows for a better understanding of how we function and gives a broader perspective of how the world works.
1. Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious / Memory (Part 1).” Lecture. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLVQIwOn7o8>
2.LAURIE FRICK. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://www.lauriefrick.com/7-days/>.
3.Noë, Alva. "Art and the Limits of Neuroscience." Opinionator Art and the Limits of Neuroscience Comments. 04 Dec. 2011. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/art-and-the-limits-of-neuroscience/?_r=1>.
4.Jung, Carl. The Spiritual Problem Of Modern Man. PDF.
5.Landau, Elizabeth. "What the Brain Draws From: Art and Neuroscience." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/15/health/art-brain-mind/>.
I too found Jung interesting. It is really important to know how our own bodies work and more importantly the ins and outs of how our brain functions in order to understand our capabilities as well as limits. Our consciousness has everything to do with how we survive, and if we are not aware of how our own human race works then how would we know how to change and evolve our societies? I enjoyed reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteThe section on Jung was very interesting. What led him to question the processes that we as humans take for granted. How his collaborative work with Freud took both their work to another level. It fascinates me as well that someone would use a butterfly as a metaphor or symbolism of an art project having to do with the brain. Why the butterfly was picked is something, that still confounds me. Art projects that utilize our conscious and subconscious are always worth noting, whatever they make portray or utilize.
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