The Intersection of Art and Psychology

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The Intersection of Art and Psychology

-Photo credit: Eva Lee 3/28/2013


The Intersection of Art and Psychology After spending the last several days in the psych ward of Yale New Haven Medical Center and reflecting upon my experiences and thoughts, I chose to write this article in an attempt to explore the intersection of psychology, science and art. My life had spiraled out of control and while under the care of a visionary psychiatrist, Dr. Juan Carlos Cleves-Bayon. The Dr, in conjunction along with a caring and attentive nursing staff who's names I was unfortunately in no place to remember with the exception of Sarah, who's kindness was so appreciated that I may never forget were able to draw me outside of my own thoughts, leaving me the ability to see things with perspective rather than filtered through the lens of my own sick mind. As I began to see things more clearly and attending groups by some wonderful people I noticed that so many of them used art as a form of expelling thoughts that may be harmful to one’s self. It was quickly evident that the practice of art and expression was therapeutic not only to myself but to virtually everyone in the groups. Automatism, psychography and expression in its purest form seemed to create a pathway to the subconscious where one could use their own thoughts as a tool of self actualization rather than allow them to take over their lives. As a video artist collaborating primarily with Dr. Paul J Botelho, a musician, professor and composer I always found that my component of our work was the essentially using video as a form of autocraft. Our works are based on principle of synchronicity. The video artist and the composer never work directly with one another’s work during the collaboration. Only the specific duration of the piece is agreed upon and no other communication in regard to the work is made during the collaboration. Solely upon the completion of both the video and music components is the work realized. The artists call this process a


The Intersection of Art and Psychology collective subconscious, a term which refers not only to the exclusionary creative actions which take place in their collaborative effort, but more broadly as the commonality that permeates betwixt the artists and those close to them. I have always found a certain ontologism in our work as we have explored this practice since 1994 with virtually every collaboration seemingly becoming a cohesive piece as though it was created by intention not by chance. This lead me to see the different roles that psychology plays in the creation of art and at least to me begged the question, as an artist, psychiatric professional or just human being is psychology used as an introspective tool to understand yourself or as a form of manipulating or shaping the perception of your audience? Perhaps both. Early techniques that I used in video art such as re-scanning an image reminded me of a memory that started as a pure thought and thought of over and over became convoluted and impressed upon by current experiences and perspectives thereby altering the original memory.

porte bebe 1994,

Russell Chartier and Paul Botelho Feedback in video, particularly analog video is essentially the same thing as a recurring thought process. I've often felt as though I was locked into a thought that was recurring and becoming it's own


The Intersection of Art and Psychology evolving entity as I thought about it more and more. In video this process is done by pointing a camera at a monitor which is reading the output of the camera. The image will eventually collapse upon itself and take on its own form. Thoughts when experienced this way tend to collapse and become layered, introspection aimed at introspection, pointed at introspection.

I also became extremely aware of the placement of images, or events in a sequence and how they could drastically change the way in which an event, visual experience or memory occurs. In art we can craft a sequence to alter the thoughts of our viewers, sell soda or tell a story. I believe that memory, often dictated by the subconscious is often displaced from its original sequence. The sequence in which these memories or images occur can greatly alter the emotions which these memories evoke. These techniques were widely used in Soviet Montage Theory who’s birth is usually attributed to Sergei Eisenstein. If one were to look at an image of a kitten followed by an image of a bowl of milk and see these in sequence the meaning would be vastly different than if images of that same kitten were to be cross cut with an image of a meat clever and viewed in sequence. I believe that the


The Intersection of Art and Psychology sequence of memories can alter the memories themselves. There are countless variables and external stimuli that may change the sequence in which these memories occur. Upon being released from inpatient psychiatric care I began to see impact I caused to the many people that I had left in my wake. Perhaps while living completely inside your own head, not attempting to manipulate the thoughts of others the impact can be even more severe. In this article I have gathered the thoughts of several people whom I respect to share their thoughts on this subject. I would like to start with my lovely and talented wife, a brilliant author and a real looker. I am sorry to say that my actions nearly destroyed her and no bigger crime could be committed against this world. I wanted to see if our processes deviated from one another and how we may deliberate them individually, see how they work together or opposition and influence the dynamics of our relationship. This article is meant to be open source. It may be altered or expanded by anyone at any time. If you would like to contribute or add to this please email me at: videoartcollective@gmail.com and I will share access to this manuscript on my Google drive.

Dr. Irene Caesar I have been given the great privilege of a contribution by Dr. Irene Caesar discussing her work with Psyotronics used to create an encoded Self-portrait "MAN-SUN" which was discussed at her Jubilee Lecture at the Museum of Modern Art in Moscow in March of 2013


The Intersection of Art and Psychology The piece was created by encoding the text of her manifesto "Man-Sun" utilizing lasers at the Institute for National Security in Moscow.

TEXT FOR CODING: MANIFESTO "MAN-SUN"


The Intersection of Art and Psychology

-Photo credit: DR Irene Caesar "Universe is entirely in its every point, so that each point is not simply different from any other point, but is unique. so there is no contradiction between patriotism and cosmopolitanism, but there is the unity of the cosmos, the city and the soul.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology The more we love our motherland, the more we are able to have a global vision. The more we are individual, the more we are able to share the interests of others, and promote the common good. A man who identifies himself with his city and with the entire universe is Man-Sun. This is the holographic or matrix principle, the fundamental law of quantum physics, which is now to be realized as being fundamental in every field of human knowledge, and, in particular, as the basis for political and social philosophy. The universe, being eternal and infinite, and everywhere fully present, is the ABSOLUTE GOOD AND LOVE. If this were not so, and the universe world be the ABSOLUTE EVIL AND CHAOS, it would have destroyed itself. Evil is relative and does not have absolute existence. Unity of the cosmos, the city and the soul is a conscious contemplation of the absolute good. This is the light that does not cast a shadow. Waves, carrying information, pass through the walls, and no one on Bentley can be happy, if an orphan is crying behind the wall. Man crying from grief makes the entire universe tremble with sobs. Man, who is indifferent to the pain of man, crying from despair, is more damaging to the universe than the Earth destroyed by a nuclear


The Intersection of Art and Psychology explosion. Only Man-Sun can fly to the stars, because it is not done on a spaceship. Leaving the electromagnetic field of the earth, man gets destroyed. Moving to the stars is possible only through the portals of teleportation. Teleportation portal is the zero focus of a wave crystal. Teleportation portal is a child’s wave matrix, the matrix of light in each of us. We need teleportation to be saved, when the Earth will be destroyed by the global cosmic catastrophe. But there is a holographic teleportation - when Man-Sun recalls of his true, luminous, nature. Man-Sun is a "God-Man" for philosophers of Russian Silver Age. Yes, both animals and Man-Sun are the holographic wave crystals. But unlike animals, Man-Sun focuses the entire universe in the center of his wave crystal, that is, he has the awareness or conscious contemplation of the entire universe in the focus of his wave crystal. Man-Sun feels responsible for himself, for his city, and for the entire universe, and acts in accordance with this impulse. Man-Sun builds Matrix Cities, which are the integrated information-wave matrices. In these Cities, Man-Sun controls live forms, climate, and geophysical


The Intersection of Art and Psychology processes at a distance - through the transfer of wave matrices. Russia has kept this knowledge, because Russia is the root of human civilization that remained after the worldwide flood. Arkaim is more ancient than Egyptian Pyramids for tens of thousands of years. This and only this is Russia's national idea. This and only this is our ancestral heritage. This and only this is the salvation of Russia and of the entire human civilization on the planet Earth." -Dr, Irene Caesar, Moscow http://irenecaesar.livejournal.com/17538.html

Eva Lee: We have had the great pleasure of exhibiting Eva Lee, a visionary artist who happens to reside in our local area.

Lee has worked with neuroscientists in the creation of her works. She recently participated in a fascinating panel discussion entitled "Space Time: Presence" as part of the New Museum Ideas City Festival in NYC on March 3rd 6-8pm. The event took place at the Christopher Henry Gallery at 127 Elizabeth Street, new York, NY.

In a piece entitled research re-imagined, participating artist Eva Lee worked with Dr. Einar Mencl, director of neuroimaging research at


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Yale University’s Haskins Laboratories, and, based on their conversations, created a visual poem entitled “Word Brain.”

In an e-mail, Lee wrote, “The Haskins project fits my interests because at the heart of my work is me wondering what the nature of mind and reality is. Science, as one way to investigate mind, yields some fascinating research and knowledge. At Haskins, where scientists look at the mind/brain connection in the context of language, I thought I would make art using their MRI images and words relevant to their studies. The resultant animation was a visual poem. As an artist I enjoy making work based on scientific materials or findings because I get to learn in the process, and hopefully, what I re- present is evocative and more than the sum of its parts for the viewer.”

In an excerpt from "Mindsets: Artists and Scientists Collaborate” Catalogue, presented by the New Haven Arts Council in partnership with Haskin Laboratories, Lee describes her work with Dr. Mencl as follows.

“Word Brain” presents a visual poem inspired by Haskins Laboratories’ work and Einar Mencl’s neuroimaging concerns. It incorporates both words and images which come directly from communication with Einar. The piece began with my thinking about the terminology of neuroscience. I left his office the day of our meeting with words such as ‘neuron orientation,’ and ‘blood oxygenation’ re- verberating through my mind. I thought, after all, Haskins is a place where researchers conduct “the science of the spoken and written word,” according to the laboratory’s motto, so why not go with the word flow? Haskins’ motto thus continued to preoccupy my thoughts like a mantra, and I began to work from this heightened experience of words. I first started arranging “science,”


The Intersection of Art and Psychology “spoken,” “written,” and “word” in each corner of my 2D composition, while assembling some of the laboratories’ glowing images of subjects and brains in cross-section and orthogonal views in the center. I added phrases I remembered or found striking from my conversation with Einar. I especially liked including “@@@@@,” which was shown to subjects in an experiment on the cognition of real words. I thought it was an interesting representation of a non-word with a humorous pronun- ciation. While I originally intended to make only a large digital print for this exhibition, I realized my piece was forming into wordplay, which adding movement, such as ones recalling scanning devices and x-ray views, would improve. The floating shapes throughout are color-coded activated brain areas lifted from their original Haskins sources

Haskins Laboratories is an independent, international, multidisciplinary community of researchers conducting basic research on spoken and written language. Exchanging ideas, fostering collaborations, and forging partnerships across the sciences, it produces groundbreaking research that enhances our understanding of -and reveals ways to improve or remediate -- speech perception and production, reading and reading disabilities, and human communication.

Video link to “Word Brain”: https://vimeo.com/19936362


The Intersection of Art and Psychology

photo credit Eva Lee Word Brain, archival digital print, 22 x 28�, 2012.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Miss Lee's work is discussed in depth in a wonderful article in ARTiculACTION

http://issuu.com/articulaction/docs/articulaction_art_review__march_2013/1

Lee's latest presentation was a panel discussion entitled: "Space Time: Presence,” part of Part of New Museum Ideas City Festival on Friday, May 3, 6-8pm, at Christopher Henry Gallery in New York, NY Mikyung Kim, PileStrata 9-6, 2011. Resin, pigment on screen-printed wood. Courtesy the artist

The Asian-American Arts Centre proposes a discussion and visual presentations by four artists, a scientist, and a literary professor on contemporary ideas of space-time and the aesthetic experiences related to these abstract concepts.

Theories of relativity and quantum mechanics have been around for some time and have attained popular exposure, and yet Newtonian structural perceptions prevail. The fourth dimension of space-time remains fiction.

In a cultural matrix where diverse cultural expressions are welcome, Asian-Pacific American artists’ works can give insight into our era and the cultural horizons that remain to be embraced. Profound changes to such fundamental notions are at stake here, along with implications for the protocols implemented in public space. This event proposes a dialogue between scientists, artists, and humanists on this question in the context of Lower Manhattan’s Chinese-American community and the Bowery’s art community.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Proposed artists: Christine Chow, Mikyung Kim, Eva Lee, and Haeri Yoo. Professors: Yibing Huang, literary scholar, and, tentatively, Dr. Robert Crease, philosopher of science, with Robert Lee, Director of AAAC, as moderator."

-ref: http://www.ideas-city.org/view/space-time-presence

Marko Luli

Wien, Austria

Marko Lulic of Wein Austria explores these principles in his work "Psychogeometry"

“Marko Luli 's works deal with a wide range of themes which he visualises through various media. Two of his core themes are most certainly public space and the concept of memory, which also play a vital role in his current exhibition at Gabriele Senn Galerie,


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Psychogeography. The artist combines aspects such as psychology, geography and urbanistics, which, ever since the so-called spatial turn, have become a focus of increased research in the context of space, not only in art but also in science. Luli , who mostly works with the media object, video and installation, often accentuates the role of the body in his works. Together with the performative element, which constitutes an integral part of the development process, the body theme is also a significant factor in his current works. In the case at hand, it centers on a walk through the city or, rather, the exploration thereof. Luli 's current project is not only about a random route, but chronicles a very personal way, because it follows a trace of memory, leading up to the present. The artist strolls through his biography which is connected with this city – Vienna – and visits the houses he has lived in so far. The result thereof is a topology nurtured by his memories. But as the process


The Intersection of Art and Psychology transcends beyond the mere visit and results in a corporal questioning of the space itself, so to speak in an additional level, it thus breaks through the simple memory.

As method for this exploration of the space, Luli has chosen that of an artistic, graphic touch – frottage. This technique is considered to be quite out of fashion these days and has collected a certain layer of dust. But this is exactly why Luli has picked it here and has integrated it into his performative act. He not only explores the city, but at the same time also looks into the artistic method which he applies in the process. Etymologically, frottage derives from the French term for rubbing "frotter". The performative and intimate are inherent but the word also contains a certain element of distance – the paper stands between the performer and the object of frottage, in this case that is the


The Intersection of Art and Psychology wall of a house. The result exhibited at the gallery, i.e. frottage works in combination with photos which document the performance and the space, refers to a topology. However, it shall not be seen as a literary mental map which Luli intends to present for it is only the observer who can sketch this map him- or herself by finding a relation between the works, thereby breaking through his or her own perception and interpretation. Luli 's works are no geographic maps, no – they rather constitute documents of his search for evidence – imprints and copies – which together make up the coordinates of a very specific social space. Luli is currently working on different projects through which he deals with public space in Vienna in a quite varied way. The Psychogeography exhibition is the first one of these projects which are to be presented in 2013.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology The term psychogeography, to which the current exhibition refers to, was coined by Guy Debord. Even though Luli 's process of exploring the city does not exactly reflect the situationist method, it still resembles it in its cartography process by highlighting the emotional and individual element. In Psychogeography, the artist, who in his previous solo exhibitions at Gabriele Senn Galerie mainly drew attention to him by large-scaled objects and installations, now focuses on the selected works which combine frottage and documentary photos. This deliberate and conscious choice of medium also contrasts his prior projects. The graphics – in this case, the frottage – is embedded into a conceptual project whose beginning is marked by the performative – assuming the form of a walk. It is not necessarily the flaneur whose role Luli choses to assume but rather that of an archaeologist. The archaeologist who does not only explore the layers of the city, but also those of his own mind. At this point, it is also worth mentioning that Luli shall primarily


The Intersection of Art and Psychology be seen as an artist – an artist who plays with various roles and who is no stranger to self-mockery.” -Marko Lulic

An upcoming event entitled FASHION 時裝 MODA МОДА presents FIFTH DIMENSION

["Einstein postulated the dimensions of space/time. Quantum Mechanics established the existence of other dimensions in the universe. String theory explored these hidden dimensions using mathematics. We humans are aware of just a fraction of reality. Dark Matter represents almost 90% of the universe and we are just beginning to understand it. The relation of matter and energy is an intersection of dimensions. The possibility of accessing the fifth dimension becomes a probability in the light of recent discoveries. "]

FASHION 時裝 MODA МОДА is organizing FIFTH DIMENSION as an ongoing project that addresses the topic of other dimensionality and related reality.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology

photo credit- Jack Van der Well Artists and scientists are encouraged and invited to participate. FIFTH DIMENSION will start with an exhibition on 1008 Main St. in Peekskill, Westchester County, New York, planning other locations in the Hudson Valley, in New York City, on the global level and on the internet.

This continues FASHION 時裝 MODA МОДА’s history as to curatorial invention and intervention. The first FIFTH DIMENSION exhibition is at 1008 Main Street ,a unique historical building in Peekskill’s Artist District. FASHION MODA wants to thank Fourmen Construction Inc. for generously providing this inspired location.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology The show will run from May 2 to June 2, 2013. On the final weekend of June 1-2, FIFTH DIMENSION coincides and merges with the Peekskill Arts Alliance Open Studios. FIFTH DIMENSION will be streamed live on the internet and subsequently posted online. Brooke McGowen and Stefan Eins are curating this project. They recently organized THE CUTTING EDGE, a very well-received exhibition at 992 Main St. in Peekskill from May 20 to June 17, 2012. Jesse Russell Brooks Filmmaker and Video Artist, Jesse Russell Brooks of Los Angeles, California described the intersection of psychiatry and art as follows:


The Intersection of Art and Psychology

"I believe I have been thinking about inspiration in the wrong manner for most of my life. When asked about inspiration in the past, I have often claimed being inspired by an event or the actions of a person, as some sort of divine wind has sets motion to my pen~ Though, the more sensitive I become to this, the more I realize that "Inspiration" is about being stimulated by something of importance rather then receiving a message from beyond. Inspiration is my built in radar system. A special alert device that goes off


The Intersection of Art and Psychology when I may dream of something important but perhaps not yet understand. This alarm goes off when lessons of great value lay in-front of me yet have gone unrecognized.

We are psychologically divided, into two major selfs: a conscious ego and of course the ever so popular unconscious mind. The unconscious is often described as the shadow of you, or "the other." In narrative, this other may be introduced by the use of a mirror of often times spoken to or discovered in dreams, etc. The unconscious feels to our ego like a foreign, hidden visitor who is knocking on the door of our psyche. I am always discovering coincidences or recognizing patterns or clues that help me discover my work. It has been wonderful for me to think that it is this other who uses what I feel and call inspiration to alert me to them. With each cry of this alarm I discover a new route along my creative path. People share words, music, story/ memories, emotion and images that introduce me to different ways to think about my personal journeys. Is this not a beautiful idea? That the


The Intersection of Art and Psychology journey we introduce one another to while living, quietly asks the deepest and most private part of our mind questions that we have yet to answer. When I feel inspiration, this is really my other saying 'YES! That is what I have been trying to tell you to pay attention to. GO THAT WAY!'

Life for me may be a forever changing Rorschach test of objects, words and sounds. Each moment during my waking life I am asked to identify what I must reflect on. Though some moments resonate with more energy then others, they all contain the topics and complex ideas that I must tackle. I am always finding solutions that I do not have words yet to explain and it is the art that I create that helps me apply these solutions to my life. Every creative person has designed some psychological construct to help them navigate their creative instincts. This is mine." -Jesse Brooks, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art

Jesse's work is discussed in a previous article in this publication


The Intersection of Art and Psychology

Evelin Stermitz: Evelin is another wonderful artist that we have had the privilege of exhibiting at our gallery.

photo credit- Evelin Stermitz M.A., M.Phil. 1972 / Austria

{Working on media and new media art projects by using different media


The Intersection of Art and Psychology like photography, video and net, including installations and conceptual works.

The focus of art work is on gender based female and socio-cultural topics. The issues of projects are about gender, role models and the gap between man and woman referring to the theory of Jacques Lacan in terms of “the Other” and the performativity of the body by Judith Butler. An important task is the female body and the outgoing connection to created symbolic meanings of gender in history and nowadays. A main emphasis is on performative works.

In media theory the main interest is on the representation and approach of the female body in everyday media and media art encouraged by Barbara Kruger’s work “Your body is a battleground.” Study of Pedagogics and Media Communication (1996 – 1999) at the University Klagenfurt, Austria, completed with a master’s degree in


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Philosophy on the thesis “Imagoes of Dancing Women in Film” in the year 1999. Received a scholarship for the postgraduate study of Visual Communication at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, (Prof. Milan Pajk – photography, Prof. Srečo Dragan – video and new media) in the year 2004. Graduated with a Master of Arts degree on the thesis “The Female Body in Context of Media Art” in the year 2007.} - from the artist's personal website www.evelinstermitz.net


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The Intersection of Art and Psychology photo credit – Evelin Stermitz Evelin was kind enough to lend her thoughts on these principles through direct correspondence in the fascinating piece that follows. Psychological Traces in Visual Art By Evelin Stermitz, 2013. “Psychological theory and art finds connections and relations, since art emerges from an individual or from groups embedded in societal structures surrounded by given time and affects. It is possible to explain and define art through psychological theories and models, as well as to create art through these basic thoughts about constructing humans, life, and society. For instance, in video pieces that I created, I am interested about relations between man and woman as gender constructions. Helpful has been the theory of Jacques Lacan, where the “big Other” is defined as something that humans need to construct their identity and their self as a distanciation figure from others, while the “big Other” is also regulative. Further the “Objet petit a” defines missing objects of possession and power, through creating the possessive object of desire. Since our society and in particular


The Intersection of Art and Psychology gender relations are defined by who possesses the power and is in control, the theory of the male gender possessing language, gaze, and power, with this being phallic, explains a lot about dominant gender discourses. Of course, further Judith Butler and Luce Irigaray, amongst others, are crucial in an art and gender context.

A particular 3-‐channel video piece that I created deals with the three structures of Freud’s model of personality, the “Structural Model”, which is split in three layers of the superego, the ego, and the id. While restrictions and patterns from controlling mechanisms (e.g. parents, society, law) put pressure on the ego and forming the ego, the freedom is defined within the id as the dis-‐regulative part of the personality, whereby the id and the superego causes a permanent tension within the ego. In the video piece “Structural Model” (2006), I further included Freud’s restrictive psychological politics concerning oppression of women.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Personally, I find psychological theories very interesting, and so e.g. a photographic series deals with Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection, the abject. As places and spaces within our humans, our society, those exist, but are neglected and even endangering and unsettling, in-‐between existence and nonexistence (Abject Place, 2011). I view these photographs as metaphors for internal landscapes, elements, and traces, rather than as the depiction of beton ́ brut on the ground.

Or, how can we face unconscious structures, making the non-visible visible, when not through art? Leaving traces of unspoken dialogues, within beings and the connexion? There is as well a strong connectivity and bondage of psychology and philosophy as an artistic practice, as Wittgenstein depicts it: “Art is the arbitress of the unspeakable.” Further Lacan’s theory is important for the regulation as the perspective and freedom of an artist. While Lacan says that humans need always a form of the “big Other” to create their regulated space of freedom, as a counter-‐opinion could be that


The Intersection of Art and Psychology art should be liberated from regulative norms, aside the traditions of copy of art history and scholars, to evolve new theory and practice on current threads. “ -Evelin Stermitz- direct correspondence

Richard Dicarlo: Gallerist and artist Richard Dicarlo was kind enough to weigh in on this topic as well.

“As a visual Artist, The creation of an artwork is the extension of ones inner conscience or as Freud's theory of psychoanalytical analysis of an


The Intersection of Art and Psychology individual's personality states: id and ego. The "id" being made up of unconscious energy that satisfies the basic urges, wants and needs and the "ego" representing the individual's sense of pride and accomplishment for an action. It 's the basis of creativity in general...The Artist has the initial desire to create an artwork, a painting or sculpture...It doesn't matter, once the Artist starts. This "initial desire" becomes a need as the piece develops into a tangible object and the Artist will transform this object into a work of art, once his sense of accomplishment is satisfied. It happens all the time...You are just not aware of it. When viewing an artwork, one cannot resist the temptation to analyze the art that is presented to them. Aesthetics, is the first thing that comes to mind...Do I like it? or Do I not like it ? and, Why is it so? In painting, the artist intentionally applies several elements of imagery, color and texture to convey an intended message to the viewer and whether or not he or she has done it successfully, reflects in its appeal towards the audience. This is a painting of a red apple... Apples are predominantly red, the viewer subconsciously is aware of this and the appeal of the painting in


The Intersection of Art and Psychology many cases is positive. If that apple were to be blue... The case would take on a whole new dimension with the viewer wondering if something was wrong... Was the artist depressed? Was the artist high when creating this altered state? ...Or was the artist insane in presenting such an abomination of fruit-hood.

Either way, the artist had achieved what all artists seek, a reaction from the viewer. This "reaction" has the viewer thinking, " Why did the Artist paint this?" There is now a subconscious dialogue occurring between the artist and the viewer. This communication is the basis of what an artist would deem, makes a work of art, successful. It fulfills the "ego" part of the artist's personality. In addition to the use of certain colors that denote emotion and feeling, perspective angle of sight, thickness of line or brushstroke in a painting will read volumes on the psychological makeup of the artist at the time of the paintings creation and equally reflect similar symptoms to the paintings audience in many cases. This subconscious communication can


The Intersection of Art and Psychology be intentionally applied to greatly affect the audience.”

-Richard Dicarlo- President, Valley Council of the Arts

Darius Ilgevicius:

Still other artists use their medium to draw attention to the psychological issues that others are experiencing to help address and improve the situations of these psychologically disturbed individuals. One such work “Film before a film” is discussed below.


The Intersection of Art and Psychology "Film before a film: a period of time for a suicide victim" Synopsis– meta-conception Descriptive Line – suicide metaphor; meta-forms; reasons; after-effects; the given things in Baltic countries, interjecting the story of perspective young Estonian artist, "Laur Tiidemann", creation, adventure and tragic death by self-immolation story as a motif for making a solid composition; at the same moment unifying the medias of a film documentaries and acting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_states Positioning, preventive satisfaction.

Significantly increasing number of suicides in Europe and in the world (in-post soviet Baltic countries)… What kinds of processes are happening in “post-soviet society communal sub-consciousness? The rhetorical questions. What is the purpose of life? Where does the worth of living lies? And the others…


The Intersection of Art and Psychology More than half of questioned young people in Lithuania, approximately, aged from 16 till 36 years old, had a thought about suicide. At least once. Did they make it already? Will they? Maybe they are doing it right now?!

It is a film for a film including a rhetorical question to ourselves... about those who lost their breaths suicidally during the interface of epochs, about young personalities...in proof of that we would be able to feel freer to believe in our freedom... We think that the Third World War will never begin... but the “apparent unknown” is still asking for its tribute until now... the starveling “monster” is asking for lives, that were not provided during the period of time, during the moment of war deaths... What We Need & What You Get Dear Colleagues, i will, your opinion, choice impressing myself don't stop...


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Together we can save lives of young people in this post soviet countries...

a) Documentary media, arising locations, “intervals”, covers made using historical and art medias frames… 1. Direct suicides – sudden death. 2. Meta - forms. Abortions (as far as I know, in Lithuania the number of them is one of the biggest according to countries scale). “Teens”…“mothers” leaving babies in the garbage containers. Usage of


The Intersection of Art and Psychology goods, things…people. The forms of chronic suicides, (the dependences) alcoholism, narcotics, gambling, smoking, modified food products “in usage”, manias, obsessions of being in charge and having money, megalomania and sex-mania. (After-effects: AIDS, Hepatitis A, B, C, Tuberculosis and others…)

Dr. Audrius V. Plioplys:


The Intersection of Art and Psychology

Cubit (from the Chromodynamics series) Copyright 2012 Audrius V. Plioplys; All rights reserved painting on canvas, 5 x 12 feet; print on paper 20 x 46 inches

Valley Peacefulness (from the Metamorphosis series) Copyright 2011 Audrius V. Plioplys; All rights reserved painting on canvas, 5 x 12 feet; print on paper 20 x 46 inches

Art of Consciousness


The Intersection of Art and Psychology For 35 years, Dr. Audrius V. Plioplys has been both a professional artist and a neurologist-neuroscientist. His art work is neo-conceptual: a metaphorical investigation of thinking and consciousness. With 34 individual exhibits and 86 group shows, his works are displayed in museums, universities and major art collections internationally. Plioplys has transformed the artist's studio into a neurobiology research laboratory: he has merged neuroscience with art.

His artistic education is entirely self-taught. Plioplys says: “After completing My medical internship, I completely left medicine for three years to develop my art (1976-79). When I left medicine, I had no intention of returning. What changed my mind was steadily growing guilt: I was not helping others with my neurologic training. When I returned to neurology, I realized that I must combine my artistic explorations, with my interests in cognitive processes, an activity that has continued over 30 years.� http://www.plioplys.com/


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Filmmaker LG Taylor , founder of the science collaborative www.neuroRAPT.com recently collaborated with Plioplys in an effort to document his work for the community at large.

Taylor says: "Plioplys's art inspires viewers to navigate the architectural landscape of their nervous system and ponder all of the elements that define our humanity. Neuroscientific concepts can be challenging to absorb, but Dr. Plioplys's artistic investigations foster a sense of wonderment and philosophical exploration. His neursocientific art is proof that scientific research has no boundaries and that art and science no longer have to be mutually exclusive entities."

The video from their collaboration is viewable at: http://youtu.be/JVYhyfZolUM


The Intersection of Art and Psychology

Culture / Center / Memory (from the Memory series) Copyright 2011 Audrius V. Plioplys; All rights reserved painting on canvas, 5 x 12 feet; print on paper 20 x 46 inches

Veil (from the Cosmic Consciousness series) Copyright 2013 Audrius V. Plioplys; All rights reserved painting on canvas, 5 x 10 feet and 10 x 20 feet; print on paper 20 x 44 inches

Artist's Statement


The Intersection of Art and Psychology “For 35 years I have been both a professional artist and a neurologistneuroscientist. My art is neo-conceptual: a metaphorical investigation of thinking and consciousness. I have transformed the artist's studio into a neurobiology research lab, merging neuroscience with art. My art works are archival-quality, digital paintings. The underlying images are based on previous photographic art works. I transform them into exotic forms, just as our memories transform visual impulses into vast neuronal web-works. Multiple layers are assembled, modified and blended. Cerebral cortical neuronal drawings, superimposed and subtracted from the surrounding color, reveal deeper layers of thoughts and memories. My own MRI brain scans and electroencephalograms (brain waves) are interweaved. From neuronal complexity words, thoughts, and consciousness emerge. Artistically, I am fully self-taught. The seed of art was planted by a childhood friend in Toronto. During medical school at the University of Chicago, I started painting, and the passion for art grew uncontrollably. After internship, I left medicine entirely, to create art full-time. Three years later, after many exhibits and positive critical reviews, I started to feel very guilty that I was not helping others with my knowledge of neurology. I realized that I must return to medicine, and at the same time, combine my art with neuro-scientific investigations. I have had 34 individual art exhibits and participated in 86 group shows. In Chicago, my art is on permanent display at the Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Blackstone Hotel, Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, Brookfield Zoo and Beverly Arts Center. In Minneapolis, eight of my works, including large scale ones, are on permanent display in the American Academy of Neurology headquarters, which opened a year ago. My paintings are in many museum collections internationally, and a suite of my art books are on permanent display in a modern art museum near Marseilles, France, which opened three months ago. In recognition of my work organizing the year-long Hope and Spirit program, a commemoration of the 20 million victims of Stalin's atrocities, I was designated Man of the Year for 2011 by the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Chicago. The previous year’s recipient was US senator from Illinois, Richard Durbin. My neurologic investigations concentrated on cognitive disorders, from autism in children, to Alzheimer's Disease in the elderly. For twenty years I worked to improve the quality of care provided to severely disabled cerebral palsy children, and reported the world's best survival rates. I have published 75 neurology articles and received $2.8 million in research grants. I retired from neurology four years ago, and am, again, engaged in art full-time. “ - Dr.

Audrius V. Plioplys July 2013

This manuscript is not meant to tackle this subject but rather serve as a jumping off point where ides may be shared and added to. This article is meant to be open source. It may be altered or expanded by anyone at any time. If you would like to contribute or add to this please email me at: videoartcollective@gmail.com and I will share access to this manuscript on my Google drive.

Current Contributors: Russell j chartier Dr. Irene Caesar Eva Lee Marko Luli Jesse Russell Brooks Evelin Stermitz Richard Dicarlo Darius ilgevicius


The Intersection of Art and Psychology Dr. Audrius V. Plioplys LG Taylor


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