Brain Gazing (Prototype)

Commissioned as part of the Oxford Nanoimaging (ONI) Artist in Residence Programme, Shuster + Moseley collaborated with world leading scientists to explore neurological form and function in super-resolution, and more broadly reflecting on the nature of consciousness in relation to neurotechnologies. The residency led to the development of ‘Brain Gazing’, a virtual neural network that can be interacted with like an instrument. Through meditative interaction the user can explore generative forms of plasticity that restructure the neural architecture, giving rise to emergent scintillations of light and sound. This emergent brain-universe of scintillating lights infinitises as algorithms of synaptic activity are re-structured by forms of plasticity, giving rise to altered states of consciousness. The artwork provokes questions about mind/brain/computer interfaces, asking how micro-processes in the brain and cellular automata are connected to the phenomena of consciousness.

Artists & Engineers supported the artists to develop the ideas from their residency into a prototype app, we brought in developer Ollie Lindsey from All Seeing Eye and Interaction Design and facilitator Ben Templeton to workshop and develop the piece to be shared with scientific peers and funders.