Week 7: Neuroscience + Art


When looking at this week’s topic, I got scared that I wasn’t going to be able to understand or connect with any of the topics. But with looking at different aspects of neuroscience like dreams and drug use, it has sparked my interest into looking more deeply in the art community.

Through my research online I was able to find multiple connections between what I learned in lecture and specific art pieces. Looking at pieces presented by MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art, they speak about Freud as well and how artists use a technique called “automatism”. This technique means doing actions that aren’t under the control of the conscious mind. The artists who created these works used dreams as a way to explore unknown or unspoken feelings and desires. They relied on their dreams to let them create freely and spontaneously.



Throughout the lecture videos, I thought it was very interesting to learn about the experiments done by Huxley and Leary. When researching art and psychedelic drugs I came across an experiment done by artist Brian Pollett where he took 20 different drugs and then created 20 different works of arts. As seen below are just sixteen of his pieces, and each have a very different aesthetic to them. The reaction from the drugs on Pollett’s brain altered his thoughts and desires while creating each different piece. Pollett states, “I can create art without concern of outsider judgment, without over analyzing my process, and intuitively enjoy creating the most honest work.” This creating without judgment connects back to the automatism technique talked about above, and how free an artist may feel when they are creating.





Sources:
"Artist Takes 20 Different Drugs And Creates 20 Illustrations To Show Drug Effects." Bored Panda. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017. <http://www.boredpanda.com/how-different-drugs-affect-you-artist-illustrations-art-brian-pollett/>.

"Find out More about the Artist behind Floating Dreams." Totally Thames. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017. <http://totallythames.org/blog/find-out-more-about-the-artist-behind-floating-dreams>.

"MoMA Learning." MoMA | Tapping the Subconscious: Automatism and Dreams. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017. <https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/surrealism/tapping-the-subconscious-automatism-and-dreams>.

 "Neuroscience-pt2.mov." YouTube. N.p., 17 May 2012. Web. 22 May 2017. <https://youtu.be/TFv4owX3MZo>.

 Page, Thomas. "Long Trip: A Potted Guide to Art and Drugs." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Aug. 2016. Web. 22 May 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/01/arts/art-and-drugs/>.

Comments

  1. Lexi Jasper-BaylinMay 24, 2017 at 8:45 AM

    Kulia,
    I too did not know if I would be able to fully connect with this week's topic however to my surprise I did. I thought it was so interesting learning about Huxley and Leary and psychedelic drugs and how they relate to neuroscience. The other experiment you found while researching further psychedelic drugs I think it so cool. It is interesting to see the different type of experiences the artist encountered while on different type of drugs. The images we are similar in some sense, however different in their color and interpretation. I enjoyed reading your blog!

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