A human looks back on their life through memories. Usually, the highs or the lows they have experienced in life rather than mundane daily activities due to the involvement of emotion. Emotions reinforce memory. Emotion is what makes us human.
This also affects the development of a human's personality and, in turn, their choices and behaviour. How are these critical emotions being sensed, and to what extent can our feelings be perceived?
"A Space for Being", a collaborative exhibit at the Salone del Mobile 2019 by Google, Suchi Reddy and the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University, explores this by working with the emerging field of Neuroaesthetics, the study of how our brain and biology change from exposure to the arts, coined by the neuroscientist Semir Zeki.
Image by Maremosso from A Space for Being
“The truth is that aesthetic experiences—and the arts—are hard-wired in all of us. They are evolutionary imperatives encoded in our DNA as an essential part of our humanity. And they are fundamental to our health, well-being, and learning.” (Magsamen)
A beautiful morning sky that brightens our mood, a melody that moves us to tears or an artwork that leaves us feeling hollow.
A Google armband collects biometric data while the wearer tours the exhibit. The data is displayed as a watercolour inkblot circle indicating moments of tranquillity and stimulation. (Dickinson)
However, to what extent is a digital result satisfactory? Wouldn’t experiencing a physical manifestation be more impactful and memorable?
“We take in the world through our senses and make meaning through cognition. The interplay results in an aesthetic experience unique to each of us.” Personalising each outcome based on the user would be more effective, as the response to art is subjective. (Magsamen)
Finally, as designers, can we incorporate this ideology to address modern-day problems and psychological issues society faces and improve the quality of life and humans?
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Authors Notes:
This article was part of the "Critical Positions" assigment during M. Arch DFPI at Bartlett School of Architecture.
References:
Magsamen S. (2019). Your Brain on Art: The Case for Neuroaesthetics. Cerebrum : the Dana forum on brain science, 2019, cer-07-19.
Dickinson, E. E. (2019). Beauty and the Brain. Johns Hopkins Magazine, Johns Hopkins University. https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2019/fall/neuroaesthetics-suchi-reddy-ivy-ross-susan-magsamen/
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