Fit Siegel “Carmine” (Fit, 2015)

Looking at how science and art can collude is a common topic, but new media art has been making quiet advances in interdisciplinary work between sciences and mathematics on one end, with several projects combining elements of neuroscience, body response, data analysis, and biotechnology, into an artistic format. I don't have as much to say about this topic, but I'm still discovering just how wide-ranging these possible implementations can be. One particular project that piqued my curiousity was Valery Vermeulen's EMOSynth, an "interactive multimedia system [that] automatically generat[es] and manipulat[es] sound and image to bring the user to certain predefined emotion states" using biosensors that measure electric impulses, skin response (for stress levels) and brain signals (Vermuelen, 2013). I can see projects like the EMOSynth helping to contribute to transdisciplinary projects in universities. I feel that schools like McMaster lack somewhat in finding effective ways of bringing together the science and art faculties in terms of projects like this - there are stronger academic divisions. Such projects can help to advance learning in both disciplines, combining the work of neuroscience and multimedia, or psychology and fine art. On the latter pairing, I think it would be neat to see something like an inverted EMOSynth that worked with reverse biofeedback - where the original emotional states would change the music, or the music would also be affected by textual input (describing whatever the patient/user is feeling). I feel this would be an interesting tool to use in art therapy - instruct the user to generate your feelings.

EMOSynth demonstration in Brussels

The development of mobile games and applications has also seen some collusion between science and media. My favourite example is the game OSMOS, which - on the surface - seems like a futuristic clone of Katamari Damacy, where the player has to absorb objects on its path through a virtual world. When playing, however, the player must take several aspects of physics into account (including mass, antimatter, gravitation, and orbital physics) - these are all helpfully explained. I feel this is an excellent tool not just for learning, but retention. If the viewer is put into this active and relatable environment, this will help them retain the information. Several institutions have implemented game-based learning exercises to great success, and especially if said product is a mobile application, the experience will not be limited to any age or anyone in a site-specific area.

Screenshot of OSMOS