EVENT 3: Noise Aquarium Online Mediation: Oxygen for South Asia

 (Cherry)

         For my event, I went to the Noise Aquarium Online Mediation: Oxygen for South Asia. As soon as I entered the event, I was struck by the diversity of the organizers. We had people coming in from different parts of the world and from different academic backgrounds. That in itself demonstrated the type of collaboration that one hopes to see between the arts and sciences as described by Professor Vesna in her paper- “Towards a Third Culture: Being in Between”.  Additionally, I thought how if it wasn’t for the major developments of computers and technology connecting with people around the world simultaneously would not be possible. Hence, it appears that technology is enabling the collaboration of individuals of vastly different backgrounds and interests. This displays that a third culture has emerged with the computer era, and these lines between the two disciplines are slowly blurring (Kelly).  Furthermore, the event focused on mediation. The practice of mediation itself can be thought of as an art or science, so is a collaboration between art and science (Fairway). 

       

             

             As I was looking at some of the visuals displayed during the event, I felt like I was being transported to a new location. I felt as if I was in an ocean or deep-sea diving even though I had not left my room. I think it is plausible that the creators of this event utilized manipulated visual perspectives with their knowledge of neuroscience as Dr. RamaKrishnan described.  For, “Through neuroscience, we develop a specific understanding of the models of the world that the brain uses to make sense of incoming visual data” (Blaszczyk). This knowledge would have helped the makers design imagery and sound that helped us feel that sense of teleportation. 

(ITA) 

           It has helped me formulate better ideas for my final project. My final project will focus on a diagnosing robot and this event has inspired me to think about how to use neuroscience knowledge to better the development of the visual perception of the robot to help it diagnose diseases better. I would recommend my peers attend this event, for they get to see artists and scientists collaborating from across the world. Additionally, it was also a fundraiser for the current covid-19 situation in India. I think it is important to be a part of events that aim to help India in any way we can.  

 

 

(Walters) 

WORKS CITED:  

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121-125. 

Kelly, Kevin. “The Third Culture.” Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 13 Feb. 1998, science.sciencemag.org/content/279/5353/992.full.  

Ramakrishnan, Siddharth. “Mind's Eye Course.” 10 May 2021. 

Blaszczyk, Connie. “3Q: The Interface between Art and Neuroscience.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 16 Apr. 2019, news.mit.edu/2019/3-questions-sarah-schwettmann-interface-between-art-and-neuroscience-0416#:~:text=Neuroscience%20and%20art%2C%20therefore%2C%20each,sense%20of%20incoming%20visual%20data. 

Fairway. “Mediation – Art or Science?” FairWay, 14 Dec. 2017, www.fairwayresolution.com/resources/whats-new/mediation-%E2%80%93-art-or-science. 

ITA. “Neuroscience and Motivation: What You Need to Know .” ITA Group, 2021, www.itagroup.com/insights/neuroscience-and-motivation-what-you-need-know. 

Cherry, Kendra. “What Is Meditation?” Verymindwell, 10 Sept. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-meditation-2795927. 

Walters, Quincy. “'I'm Afraid To Pick Up The Phone:' Indian COVID Crisis Worries Family In Greater Boston.” WBUR News, 5 May 2021, www.wbur.org/news/2021/05/05/im-afraid-to-pick-up-the-phone-indian-covid-crisis-worries-family-in-greater-boston.