Neural Code for Art

Creating and viewing art activates our neural networks in predictable and meaningful ways. This talk addresses the neurological basis of creativity in visual artists, specifically the brain areas and patterns of activity involved in artistic influence, or how a provided visual 'input' is processed by an artist's neural networks and 'output' as visual art. This work can be applied to the generation of 'closed loop' experiments that combine virtual reality with EEG (electroencephalogram) brain recordings to create virtual worlds that are responsive to emotional states.

Bio

Tricia MacKenzie, PhD, is an interdisciplinary artist and scientist. She works at the intersection of science, technology, and fine art, designing experiments that have aesthetic and cultural value in addition to answering basic research questions. She received her PhD in Biology from New York University and her BSc in Neurobiology from the University of Washington, Seattle. She is the founder of Inter Space Lab, Synaptic Cloud, co-founder of the Silent Barn Collective art space and was an early member of Babycastles.