Dear list members,
I am sending the list a copy of this message with Roger Malina's
permission; I thought other readers might be interested.
From: "Roger F. Malina" <rmalina@cea.berkeley.edu>
Cynthia:
I am pleased you would be interested in our discussion around
the new Zeki book. Oxford University press says the book will be
available in January although i think its already available on
Amazon. I attach my inital quick "review" on the book based
on the book proofs. This will go up on our web
site in January to "seed" the project.
We are expecting comments from Richard Gregory, Changeux, Barbara
Becker,
Christa Sommerer, George Shortess- this is a mixture of artists
and scientists. As the initial reviews come in we will both
be posting the reviews on mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo/ldr.html
but also emailing it to a short list for response -including Zeki.
I will add you to this list- I would expect the first activity
on the project in February.
best Wishes
roger malina
"Inner Visions: An Exploration of Art and the Brain"
by Semir Zeki
Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York,U.S.A.,1999.
219pp, $35.00
ISBN: 0-19-850519-1
Reviewed by: Roger Malina, 95 Hiller Drive, Oakland,
Ca 94618, rmalina@alum.mit.edu
This book, by neurologist and vision scientist Semir Zeki is a
daring attempt to link increased understanding of the brain
and an understanding of aesthetic principles in the visual
arts.
The basic arguments of the book are :
a) That the brain, and visual art, share the functionality of
acquisition of knowledge of the world around us.
b) That visual artists, through an essentially experimental approach,
create works that exploit particular features of
specialised regions of the brain that are sensitive
to specific visual stimuli.
c) That increased understanding of brain functions can
lead to an increased understanding of the making and
appreciation of visual arts.
One example that is developed is the way that kinetic
artists have exploited the particularities of motion
detection cells - most prominently those in the V5 area of
the visual cortex. These motion detection cells are
motion sensitive- are only triggered by moving stimuli
and not to stationary ones. However these cells are
not sensitive to colour, thus moving stimuli of any
colour trigger the same brain response.
Zeki argues that this understanding of brain functioning
can help understand why many kinetic artist have
systematically exluded colour complexity from their
kinetic art- citing examples such as Calder, Tinguely
and Jaroslav Belik.
Zeki also points out that the various specalised parts
of the visual cortex do not function at the same speed.
Thus the brains ability to interpret visual data does
not occur simultaneously- but sequentially. Thus
cells that trigger on specific colours function
more quickly than those that detect forms, and
these more quickly than those that detection motion.
Thus consciousness of a visual scene results from
the "binding" of a number of micro-consciousness events.
Zeki is a prominent researcher in the science of visual
perception. The book is informed with the latest results
in neurobiological and perception research, discussion of
what brain lesions can teach us, and speculations on
how visual artists go about exploiting features of
brain funcitoning.
This book is an important milestone in the literature
on the relations between contemporary sciences of biology
and the contemporary arts.
Leonardo Digital Reviews is carrying out a moderated discussion
around the topics and issues raised by this book. A
number of reviews have been solicited from a variety of
scholars, artists and researchers. These reviews will be
posted here and the author, Semir Zeki, has agreed to
respond to these reviews.
All readers are invited to email us their own reviews or
reactions to this book for publication consideration.
Send to leo@mitpress.mit.edu
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