Understanding the creative brain ‘in action and in context’ remains one of the grand challenges in neuroscience. Prior studies of human creativity have been typically constrained to laboratory settings that are far removed from the artist’s usual work environment, tools, audience, and other important contextual factors. To address this knowledge gap, we have developed an integrated visual art performance and experimental approach called The Nahual, which combines live and neurodigital interactive art, mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) technology, closed-loop brain-computer interface (BCI), and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to uncover the neural basis of creativity. The general overview of the study is summarized in the figure below.
Each Art-Science Performance is part of a longitudinal study in the nascent field of neuroaesthetics, in which a generative adversarial network (GAN) models the artist’s oeuvre or body of work and her associated whole head scalp electroencephalography (EEG) is used to trigger the generation of a digital painting. The GAN model generates unique neurodigital paintings that approximate each time more what the artist's unique neuro signature of creativity would produce: her NAHUAL. Moreover, during the performance, the artist’s brain waves will be sonified in real-time using the MoBI system, which provides a closed-loop auditory BCI that serves to neuromodulate the artist’s brain activity and therefore modulate her creative output.
The visual symmetry of the developing physical painting and the generative digital Nahual, alongside the sonification of her brain waves as she creates, makes for an immersive 15 min closed-loop BCI performance. Wise wears an EEG-based BCI that activates the trained GAN network and generates neural sounds simultaneously. Each of the performances then acts as a data point for updating the generative model. Longitudinally thus the model would learn both the neural and artistic traits of the visual artist.
The Nahual also offers a unique STEAM outreach possibility bridging neuroscience, BCI, AI, and neuromodulation concepts, and interactive art. We will conclude the talk by discussing ethical, artistic, medical, collaborative, and philosophical questions arising from this convergent research-performance.
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