[-empyre-] Introducing John Onians, Alan Dunning and Paul Woodrow

[Paul Woodrow]

Hello Everyone!!!
- we are very happy to take part in such an interesting discussion
  -we would very much like to thank Michele for inviting us.

The Einstein’s Brain Project is a collaborative group of artists and  
scientists who have been working together for the past twelve years.  
The aim of the group is the visualization of the biological state of  
the body through the fabrication of environments and simulations.
More recently the work of the Einstein’s Brain Project, has developed  
generative systems in order to reference the ideas inherent in EVP  
(Electronic Voice Phenomenon) to examine ways in which we construct  
worlds, and bodies in worlds, through pareidolia, (a psychological  
phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus - often an image or  
sound - being perceived as significant), apophenia (the seeing of  
connections where there are none) and the gestalt effect (the  
recognition of pattern and form).

Yesterday when we were  (Alan and Paul ) talking together in response  
to some of the initial dialogue we thought that for us,  as artists,   
there appears to be two important questions to be asked 1) when you  
talk about the brain , what brain are you talking about? -since we  
don't know what the brain is as a totality  and 2)  what language of  
"picturing" are we going to use- ?  Much of our work has used the  
notion of index as a means of picturing (indicating /tracing )  
phenomena- There are many ways to do this -some which have definite  
practical purposes and could lead to important discoveries - others  
which are about the invention of new methods of visualization which  
construct new worlds.




On 3-Sep-08, at 1:05 AM, Michele Barker wrote:

> Firstly, thanks to both Ben and Luigi for some initial points for  
> discussion.
>
> Before we delve into them too much however, I'd like to start by  
> introducing 3 of my guests for this month.  I'd like to open the  
> initial discussion by inviting  John Onians,  Alan Dunning and Paul  
> Woodrow to introduce themselves and outline what projects they are  
> currently working on. All deal with the issues of neurology and its  
> relationship to art but in clearly varying ways.
>
> And, to all 3, I would be curious as to their take on what exactly  
> is neuroaesthetics? Do we need to be careful of creating a 21st  
> century catchphrase that is potentially devoid of meaning?
>
> - Michele
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> http://www.subtle.net/empyre

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