Since its founding in 1969, the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) has played a critical role in supporting the field of neuroscience, with its mission dedicated to advancing and advocating for scientific exchange, supporting diversity and career training, and educating the public about the importance of neuroscience research.
Now in its 50th year, the Society is commemorating advances in global neuroscience research and celebrating its members, who are dedicated to furthering the field.
As part of these celebrations, SfN partnered with ARTECHOUSE - 21st century innovative art institution based in Washington, D.C., with locations in Miami and New York City, dedicated to showcasing the works of new media artists and producing cutting-edge art exhibitions and installations that merge art, technology, and science.
SfN's collaboration with ARTECHOUSE brought together a group of neuroscientists, led by Dr. John Morrison of the University of California, Davis; and artists, led by Los Angeles-based media designer, artist, and spatial thinker Refik Anadol; to both push the boundaries of how scientists view data and share the beauty of neuroscience and the human mind, allowing visitors to consider the endless possibilities on the horizon.
Debuting as part of the Neuroscience 2019 meeting, Neuro Space, an innovative installation created at the intersection of art, science and technology, takes visitors through a technology-based evolution of how scientists view neurons. Neuro Space is a meditation on the power of art to reflect those structures we have come to find through science while also illuminating the vastness of what remains unknown.
Tracing the role of imaging in neuroscience from Cajal's pioneering drawings to higher fidelity microscopic imaging used in Dr. Morrison's research, Neuro Space creates an immersive physical space that facilitates a temporary release from our habitual perceptions, expanding the journey of synaptic neural pathways and enabling us to momentarily perceive ourselves and the world around us with a sense of lucidity. Creating abstract visualizations that begin with the earliest drawings and progress towards literal slices of microscopic images from a pyramidal neuron, this installation reconstructs those slices into a 3-dimensional navigable model, creating an environment that calls into question the relativity of perception and how it informs the apprehension of the universe itself.
Neuro Space is dedicated to being futuristic, hopeful, and inspiring for the neuroscience field, showcasing how much more there is to discover.
Neuro Space is open for public viewing at the McCormick Place Convention Center from Saturday, October 19-Wednesday, October 23 from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Entry requires a complimentary badge that can be obtained with a valid photo ID by visiting Neuroscience 2019 Attendee Services in Level 3 South, Hall A.
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The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of more than 37,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system.
ARTECHOUSE connects audiences to the arts, and stimulates interest in the limitless possibilities of technology, science and creativity, with a mission to inspire, educate, and empower the creation of new, experiential, and exploratory art forms.
Refik Anadol is an award-winning media designer, artist, and spatial thinker who is intrigued by the ways in which the transformation of contemporary culture requires a new aesthetic, technique, and dynamic perception of space.