Mara Dierssen "El Cerebro del Artista" | The Festival of Consciousness 2022

The Festival of Consciousness

8 Mar 202316:01

Summary

TLDRIn this insightful transcript, neuroscientist Mara Dierssen discusses the intersection of art and science in understanding the human brain. She uses the example of Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' to illustrate how artists tap into the brain's creative logic, employing techniques like sfumato that engage peripheral vision. Dierssen suggests that the brain's minimalist perception of reality is manipulated by our senses, and artists, like scientists, strive to interpret this reality. She delves into how our subconscious mind processes much more information than our conscious mind, affecting our perception and decision-making. Through various examples, including visual illusions and the impact of subliminal messages, Dierssen highlights the brain's role in creating our reality. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of art as a means to explore and express the subconscious, potentially offering new perspectives on reality, as famously encapsulated by Picasso's notion that 'art is a lie that tells the truth.'

Takeaways

🧠 The brain of an artist can help us understand the brain of others and reflect on consciousness.
🖼️ Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' uses a technique called 'sfumato' to create an elusive smile that is only visible through peripheral vision.
🎨 Art can be seen as an exploration of the brain, with artists using strategies similar to those our brain uses to understand the world.
👀 Our brain receives a minimalist version of reality, creating our perception from limited sensory input.
👂 We are not consciously aware of all the information our brain processes; our subconscious mind handles much more information than our conscious mind.
📉 The human mind perceives only a tiny fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum, yet our brain constructs our reality from these limited perceptions.
🚫 Our brain filters and reduces the vast amount of sensory input it receives to focus on what's important for survival.
👥 Modern art often involves the viewer as part of the artwork, emphasizing that the artwork is experienced differently by each individual's brain.
🌟 The brain creates the illusion of a three-dimensional world and colors from the two-dimensional input it receives from our retinas.
🔍 Different brains perceive reality differently, as seen in how individuals with various intellectual disabilities or mental health conditions interpret what they see.
🎭 Artists act as brain experimenters, providing insights into how our minds work, which can be valuable for neuroscientists.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Mara's research laboratory?
-Mara's research laboratory focuses on studying where and how memory is stored in our brain.
What is the significance of the Mona Lisa's smile according to the transcript?
-The Mona Lisa's smile is elusive, visible only when viewed peripherally, a technique achieved by Leonardo Da Vinci using sfumato, a type of brush stroke.
How does the human brain process the external reality?
-The human brain processes a minimalist version of external reality, creating our perception of the world from a combination of sensory inputs.
What is the term for the brain's process of filtering and reducing the vast amount of sensory information it receives?
-The process is referred to as attention, where the brain selectively focuses on certain stimuli and filters out others.
How does the artwork reflect the difference between physical reality and our perception of it?
-Artworks, such as a piece consisting of a pile of garbage, can make the viewer focus on the physical garbage, but also perceive two people drinking and smoking through the projected shadow, illustrating the interplay between physical reality and perception.
What is the term used to describe the brain's automatic decision-making process that operates largely outside of our conscious awareness?
-This automatic decision-making process is often referred to as the subconscious or the unconscious mind.
What does the experiment with the subliminal message during the presentation indicate about our perception?
-The experiment indicates that even information we are not consciously aware of, such as subliminal messages, can influence our behavior and decision-making.
How does the brain create the illusion of a three-dimensional world from two-dimensional retinal images?
-The brain uses cues from our movements and experiences to interpret and construct a three-dimensional understanding of the world from the two-dimensional images on our retinas.
What role does the subconscious play in the creation of visual illusions?
-The subconscious generates the illusion by processing and interpreting sensory information, creating mental images that can differ from the objective reality.
How does the study of visual illusions contribute to our understanding of the brain's functioning?
-The study of visual illusions helps neuroscientists understand how the brain processes sensory information, interprets it, and how it can be deceived or manipulated by certain visual stimuli.
What is the connection between the arts and the subconscious mind?
-The arts are a form of subconscious expression of the mind, providing insights into the internal workings of the brain and potentially offering new interpretations of reality.
What does Picasso's quote 'Art is a lie that tells the truth' imply about the nature of art?
-Picasso's quote suggests that while art may not depict objective reality, it can convey deeper truths about human experience and the subjective perception of reality.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Artistic Brain and Consciousness

Mara, a neuroscientist, discusses the intersection of art and science in understanding the brain and consciousness. She uses the example of the enigmatic smile in Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa', which is visible only through peripheral vision due to the artist's use of 'sfumato' technique. Mara suggests that the creative logic of artists and the brain's functioning share similarities, and both are involved in interpreting reality. She also touches on how our senses provide a limited and minimalistic version of reality, which our brain then constructs into our perception of the world.

05:00

👀 The Naive Reality and Modern Art

The concept of 'naive reality' is explored, where our brain creates a narrative from our sensory experiences. Mara uses an artwork consisting of a pile of garbage to illustrate how modern artists involve the viewer in the artwork, making it incomplete without the observer's perception. She also discusses the role of subconscious processing in our brain, which handles a vast amount of information, and how it influences our decisions and perception without our conscious awareness.

10:05

🧠 The Brain's Perception and Illusions

Mara delves into how the brain makes sense of the limited visual information it receives, creating the illusion of a focused and three-dimensional world. She explains that colors exist as a manifestation of consciousness and can be altered in different mental states. The artist's role as a brain experimenter is highlighted, with examples of how different artists explored psychological aspects of color and visual illusions, influencing the way neuroscientists understand brain function.

15:07

🌐 Art as a Subconscious Expression

The final paragraph suggests that art is a subconscious expression of the mind that can provide a new perspective on reality. Mara emphasizes the importance of creativity in allowing us to see things differently and concludes with a quote from Picasso, stating that 'art is a lie that tells the truth.' She invites the audience to continue exploring conscious experiences and thanks them for their attention.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, which includes the brain. In the video, Mara, a neuroscientist, discusses how her field can help us understand how memory is stored in the brain and how it can intersect with art to explore consciousness. It is a fundamental concept that ties the scientific aspect of the video to the broader theme of understanding reality.

💡Artistic Brain

The term 'artistic brain' refers to the creative cognitive processes associated with artistic production. Mara suggests that understanding the brain of an artist can provide insights into the workings of other brains and our collective consciousness. It is used to illustrate the parallels between artistic creativity and the brain's processes in interpreting reality.

💡Consciousness

Consciousness is the state of being aware of and able to think and perceive one's surroundings, thoughts, and emotions. The video delves into how art can be an exploration of consciousness. It is a central theme as Mara discusses how both artists and neuroscientists are trying to understand the nature of reality and the role of consciousness in shaping our perception.

💡Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa is a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Mara uses it as an example to explain how artistic techniques like sfumato can create visual effects that engage the viewer's brain differently, illustrating the intersection of art and neuroscience. It serves as a practical example of how art can manipulate perception.

💡Reality

Reality, in the context of the video, refers to the objective existence of the world as opposed to our subjective perception of it. Mara discusses how our minds construct a minimalist version of reality, which is sufficient for us to adapt and survive. It is a key concept that underpins the discussion of how both art and neuroscience attempt to interpret and understand the world.

💡Senses

Senses are the faculties by which the body perceives external stimuli, such as sight, hearing, and touch. Mara mentions that our senses provide the only access we have to reality, and our brain creates our perception of reality from these sensory inputs. This concept is integral to understanding how limited our direct perception of the world is.

💡Attention

Attention is the cognitive process by which a person focuses on a particular object or task. The video touches on how our brain filters and reduces the vast amount of sensory information it receives through selective attention. It is a mechanism that helps explain how we can perceive reality without being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sensory data.

💡Subconscious

The subconscious is the part of the mind that operates below the level of conscious awareness. Mara points out that the subconscious processes much more information than the conscious mind, influencing our perception and decision-making without our direct awareness. It is a critical component of the video's exploration of the mind's role in creating reality.

💡Perception

Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information to represent and understand the presented information or world. The video discusses how our perception is limited and how our brain constructs our understanding of the world from this limited sensory input. It is a fundamental concept in the video's exploration of the mind's interpretation of reality.

💡Optical Art

Optical art, also known as op art, is an art style that emphasizes optical illusions. Mara refers to op art as a way artists explore the workings of the visual system and create new ways to engage with the illusion of reality. It serves as an example of how art can challenge and expand our understanding of perception.

💡Surrealism

Surrealism is an artistic and literary movement that seeks to express the subconscious mind, often through dream-like or irrational scenarios. Mara mentions surrealism as an artistic movement that delves into the subconscious and attempts to influence the human mind by evoking feelings from the unconscious. It is used to illustrate the depth of exploration into the mind that art can achieve.

Highlights

Mara, a neuroscientist, discusses how the brain of an artist can help us understand the brain of others and reflect on consciousness.

She grew up in a family where her father was a neurosurgeon and her mother was a painter, highlighting the connection between art and science.

Mara introduces Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' as an example of how artists use creative logic similar to brain functioning.

The elusive smile in 'Mona Lisa' is a result of the 'sfumato' technique, which is seen with peripheral vision.

Artists and scientists both use strategies to interpret reality, suggesting a shared approach to understanding the world.

The human mind receives a minimalist version of reality, which is sufficient for adaptation and survival.

Our senses provide the only access to reality, and the brain creates our perception of reality from these sensory inputs.

Mara emphasizes that we only perceive a minuscule fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum through vision.

The brain filters and reduces the vast amount of information it receives, highlighting the role of attention in perception.

The concept of 'naive reality' is introduced, where our brain creates a narrative from our senses, shaping our perception of the world.

Modern artists make the spectator a part of the artwork, as seen in the example where a pile of garbage casts a shadow of people.

Unconscious processing in the brain handles a vast amount of information, influencing our decisions and actions.

Subliminal messages can influence behavior, as demonstrated by experiments showing increased consumption and willingness to pay more after subliminal exposure.

An experiment is conducted with the audience to demonstrate the difference between conscious and non-conscious perception.

Mara discusses how our brain makes sense of the limited information it receives, creating an illusion of a fully focused and colored world.

Different brains perceive reality differently, as seen in the varying perceptions of people with different intellectual disabilities.

Artists like Kandinsky explored the psychological power of color, providing clues to neuroscientists about brain functioning.

Optical art, such as op art, involves the viewer in the creation of illusions, projecting mental representations of reality.

Artists act as brain experimenters, from whom neurologists can learn a great deal, and vice versa.

Mara concludes that art is a subconscious expression of the mind that can provide a new interpretation of reality through creativity.

She invites the audience to be open to the idea that internal creativity can make us see things differently, quoting Picasso: 'Art is a lie that tells the truth'.