Page 93 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

We mustn’t forget that neuroscience is very recent. It wasn’t until 1875 that Richard Birmick Caton reported his ndings on electrical im- pulses in the cerebral hemispheres of rabbits and monkeys. Not long after, in 1912, Vladimir Vladi- mirovich Pracdich-Neminsky recorded the rst animal EEG. But it took until 1920 for Hans Breger (1873-1941) to begin EEG studies on humans, which were subsequently elaborated upon by Professor Antonio Damasio and his team.Drawin by Ramón y Cajal (1899) of neurons in the pigeon cerebellum. Fuente: Wikipedia.Neuroscience and CreativityMore important than verifying what society gains from artistic endeavor and its contempla- tion is the research being carried out on the role of creative processes in problem solving and our perception of reality.In the experiment set up to analyze examples from the Caixa Foundation’s Egyptian Mummy exhibition, we were able to see that the levelof neural excitability generated by a work ofart contemplated within the context of an exhibition is much more intense than the neural excitability generated in a laboratory. In an authentic environment, the work of art triggers surprising levels of neural feedback equal to a concert or a good action movie. Compared to the controlled laboratory experiments, the levels registered indicated a high level of excitability.This experiment was anecdotal and very worth- while for the neuroculture team, given that itcon rmed a number of theories, the rst being that art is useful and produces emotion; the second being that we are capable of introducing objective elements to a totally subjective envi- ronment that scienti cally endorse art’s contri- bution to society; the third is the experiment’s potential eld of application once the process is semi-automatic as well as the accessible nature of the results for any professional outside medi- cal or neuroscienti c areas of expertise.Experiments that measure the e ect of art on the human brain have prompted us to query the science behind all creative processes.Experiments that measure the e ect of art on the human brain have prompted us to query the science behind all creative processes, not as a one-o , but as a part of daily life as well as in spontaneous and unexpected circumstances. These creative processes lead everyone to have a small internal Picasso inside them on a day-to- day basis – a greater challenge to measure than the functional measurement of concrete artistic projects.Neuroscience o ers real hope in the search for better, more e cient and innovative ideas. And we believe it can help us to exploit our true potential by using a type of gymnastics for the brain.The most recent neuroscienti c studies, which fall into the Neuroscience and Creativity category, are undermining the belief that the brain’s left hemisphere is the creative side where the most humane and passionate feelings reside compared to the right side of the brain, which acts as our computer. As we mentioned earlier, the perception of the areas of the brain as separate units does not hold up in view of the latest advances.The creative impulse is comprised of many di erent cognitive equations, as much in the conscious mind as the sub-conscious, betterAC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 201793Smart culture. Analysis of digital trends