Science Days: Images of the Brain

Science Days: Images of the Brain
Saturday, May 12 & Sunday, May 13, 2012, 10 AM-6 PM

(Linz, May 11, 2012) The next Science Days at the Ars Electronica Center will showcase “Images of the Brain.” Throughout the weekend (May 12-13), the BrainLab will focus on images and our perception of them. Visitors can look forward to learning lots of interesting stuff about optical illusions, and they’ll have the opportunity to watch Linz artists Katharina Klaczak, Ursula Hübner, Peter Sommerauer, Ingrid Tragler, Alexander Jöchl and Veronika Merl paint pictures using only the power of their thoughts. Visitors can also get hooked up to a brain-computer interface and try out “brain painting” for themselves.

Here’s an overview of what Science Days have in store:

A Mother’s Day Gift via BCI
Saturday & Sunday, 10 AM-6 PM (age 10 and up)

Painting a Mother’s Day present without use of a brush, mouse or keyboard? How does that work? A so-called brain-computer interface registers the visitor’s brainwaves and forwards them to a computer. The result: highly imaginative images. To participate, please preregister at the Ars Electronica Center’s Infodesk.

Science Talk: What is BCI?
Saturday & Sunday, 2-4 PM

The brain-computer interface (BCI) is one of Graz company g.tec’s most fascinating fields of research. Alexander Lechner from their software R&D department will discuss how BCI is already being used and what this technology will make possible in the future.

Optical Illusions, Magical Images
Saturday & Sunday, 10 AM-6 PM

Visitors will get an undistorted picture of optical illusions, see how the human brain influences perception, and find out why scientists still have no explanation for many optical illusions.

Pingo ergo sum – Linz Artists Paint Live
Saturday & Sunday, 11 AM, 1 & 3:30 PM

Linz artists Katharina Klaczak, Ursula Hübner, Peter Sommerauer, Ingrid Tragler, Alexander Jöchl and Veronika Merl will produce images with brain painting, a technique that uses a BCI and special software.

Artists’ Chat
Saturday & Sunday, 3-5 PM

This Saturday, Ursula Hübner, artist and professor at Linz Art University, will create images using brain painting, and then discuss their origination and technical implementation. On Sunday, Alexander Jöchl, concept artist, curator and the Diocese of Linz’s advisor on artistic affairs will relate his experiences with and impressions of brain painting.

pdf Pressetext “Science Days: Bilder des Gehirns”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/4306147303/
Brain Computer Interface / Nicolas Ferrando, Lois Lammerhuber / Printversion / Album