Neuroscience + Art

Mental imagery serves as the mind’s eye– subjective and abstract mental representations that share properties with pictures. Stephen Kosslyn, an advocate of the analog viewpoint of mental imagery, claimed that visual mental images are of functional equivalence to pictures in the head (“Mental Imagery”). Now, image scanning experiments and fMRI studies serve as evidence for analog visual images and show that visual perception and imagery activate the same cortical areas associated with visual processing. Because mental imagery involves many sensory modalities, viewpoints, and spatial information, the mind can be a source of creativity (Vesna). The things we see, both visually and mentally, are reflective of what our brains are doing (Cohen). Mental imagery is of great interest to both scientists and artists– it provides us with valuable insight into the complexity of cognition and neuroplasticity, and also serves as a representational medium providing us with access to thoughts and symbolization.



Rabbit or duck?

To visualize the nature of human creativity, Artist Todd Siler created “The Brain Theater of Mental Imagery,” a giant continuous painting in the shape of the human brain. On this colorful textured canvas, the audience is able to observe and follow the neural networks and patterns that were inspired by neuroimaging research and neuroanatomical drawings. According to the artist, this was created to show a “creative aesthetic that unites the complementary sensibilities of the arts and sciences.” (Siler)


The Brain Theater of Mental Imagery


Understanding the creative process is essential for realizing human potential. In addition to offering fresh aesthetic experiences, this metaphorical artworks as such raises fundamental questions concerning the deep connections between the brain and its creations. This further emphasizes the importance of combining both anatomical (neuroscience) and figurative (art) imagery (Ramakrishnan) to better understand the nature of our mental theater– and also discovering our sense of identity and self in the process.


Mental imagery as a creative process




References


Cohen, Mark. “Neuroscience-Mark Cohen.” Neuroscience + Art. 12 May. 2012. Lecture.


Digital Image. 2006. Web. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/a-The-ambiguous-duck-rabbit-figure-b-The-unambiguous-versions-of-the-duck-rabbit_fig1_6949641


Digital Image. 2016. Web. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jun/04/aphantasia-no-visual-imagination-impact-learning


Mental Imagery. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 12 September. 2014. Web. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mental-imagery/


Ramakrishnan, Siddharth. “Mind’s Eye Course” CoLE DESMA 9. 10 May. 2021. Lecture.


Siler, Todd. Neuro-Impressions: Interpreting the Nature of Human Creativity. PubMed. October. 2012. Web. 


“The Brain Theater of Mental Imagery with Thought Assemblies emerging from the Limbic System.” Digital Image. 2014. Web. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Brain-Theater-of-Mental-Imagery-with-Thought-Assemblies-emerging-from-the-Limbic_fig2_280865415


Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience-pt2.” Neuroscience + Art. 17 May. 2012. Lecture.

Comments

  1. ChrisMay 13, 2021 at 9:53 PM

    Hey Sarah! I can see both the rabbit and the duck but I like ducks more so I try to see the duck more and then I actually see the duck more. I think mental imagery is really interesting how our brain can trick itself into seeing a certain way and I'm glad you touch upon the complexity of this process. I also really like the term you used at the end- mental theater, our mind constantly creates itself a movie to experience through our senses making us a work of art and that idea really encapsulates the ideas of this class. -Chris Chae

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  2. Laura GromboneMay 16, 2021 at 2:34 PM

    Hey Sarah :D
    I truly enjoyed your blog post this week. Differently from Chris I initially struggled with seeing the duck, but was able to immediately recognize the rabbit. As a child I was very fascinated with the Rorschach test and how it was used by psychologists in the diagnosis process. Of course this test was long been proved to be faulty at times but nonetheless it still is a very interesting combination of art and neuroscience.
    -Laura G.

    ReplyDelete

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