This class combines two of my favorite things, (neuro)science and art, yet the intersection of both of these fields was much more out of my comfort zone. To give you some background, I've taken many art classes growing up all thanks to my mother's will to cultivate my creativity. I remember the first time I learned about Claude Monet when I was 8 years old, and creating my own version of the waterlilies with watered-down blue and violet paints with green tissue-paper lillies. In highschool I found a love for ceramics (which I share with my grandmother) and loved the ability to create with my hands. My crowning art achievement was placing in the Top 300 (out of 10,000+ works) in the Governor's Art show two years in a row.
On the flip side, I participated in something called a "Brain Bee" which was a spelling bee style competition but only included facts about the brain. There was even a practical portion of this competition where students had to identify anatomical structures on the brain! Though I can't say I was particularly good at it, but I enjoyed learning about the brain over the years, and the knowledge comes in handy from time to time.
On the flip side, I participated in something called a "Brain Bee" which was a spelling bee style competition but only included facts about the brain. There was even a practical portion of this competition where students had to identify anatomical structures on the brain! Though I can't say I was particularly good at it, but I enjoyed learning about the brain over the years, and the knowledge comes in handy from time to time.
This is an image of a handout we received for our drawing lab. The lab focused on the connection between perception and drawing (and revealed the gap between the DAAP students and the rest of us)
Going into it, I thought this class was going to be interesting, since I had such a love for both fields. Little did I know that the intersection of art and science can be very philosophical. I wouldn't describe myself as philosophical person. Questions about the universe don't keep me up at night as much as racial injustices in this country do. The intangible is harder to grasp since I ground myself in the hard sciences and the experimental. I didn't expect to have so many questions and dialogues about abstract topics but I think it was a really interesting introduction to an otherwise unexplored way of thinking for me. Some of the writing prompts were along the lines of "How would you define consciousness," "Speculate (concisely) on the role of both declarative and nondeclarative memory at a physiological level, in the perception of art," and "Describe one experience you've had relating color to emotion." These prompts coupled with the fascinating reading prompts and interesting guest speakers allowed for a really engaging class.
As everyone else, I wish the virus did not disrupt my life and I was able to finish this class but I wanted to share the other activities we had to do from home. My favorite one was the Fluxus lab where we had to choose an activity from the workbook.
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Fluxus can be understood as experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product.
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Here's the book list for the class:
1. Vision and Art (Updated and Expanded Edition) by Margaret Livingstone
2. The Brain: A Very Short Introduction by Michael O'Shea
3. Strange Tools by Alva Noe
4. The Runaway Species by Anthony Brandt & David Eagleman
5. Reductionism in Art and Brain Science by Eric Kandel
6. Neurocomic by Matteo Farinella and Hana Ros
1. Vision and Art (Updated and Expanded Edition) by Margaret Livingstone
2. The Brain: A Very Short Introduction by Michael O'Shea
3. Strange Tools by Alva Noe
4. The Runaway Species by Anthony Brandt & David Eagleman
5. Reductionism in Art and Brain Science by Eric Kandel
6. Neurocomic by Matteo Farinella and Hana Ros