Marc Saint-Louis
Before starting this project, I was interested in creating something that explored the topic of connections. As I have been learning about how the brain works in my Introduction to Neuroscience course, I thought it would be interesting to make a mind map because I believe that the way we make connections to outside information is analogous to the way the brain connects to the different parts of our body. I also drew some inspiration from Journal 291 and enjoyed the way that the placement of words was manipulated. I thought that connections were pertinent to this course as well because in the discussions that we have had in class and the papers that we’ve written for class, Professor Doyle always encourages us to connect to the work and share how we interpret the different work that we have been introduced to. I felt like creating a mind map allowed me to show the complexity, but also, the simplicity of connections. I wanted images of different types to be a part of the mind map as well because I believe that images are a great way for others to connect. In that way, it allows this project to not only be something that connects with me, but also with other individuals who may come in contact with my project.
When it came to starting my mind map, I wanted the brain to be at the center of my project since it is also the center of our lives. Our brain is the reason why we have the ability to do all the things that we can do, like moving, thinking, and so many other things. Therefore, it seemed perfect to place it right in the middle of the poster. I also placed images in each corner to correspond with the appropriate lobes of the brain, according to their functions. In the top left, I placed an image of “Identical Breakfast,” my own rendition of Alison Knowles’s “The Identical Lunch.” I really connected with that piece because I liked the fact that Knowles was proud to share the mundane things in her life, such as a meal. I recreated it to be about breakfast because it is a part of my day that really does not have much variation. The top-left quadrant of the poster is lined up with the frontal lobe, the largest lobe in the front of the brain, which is responsible for planning of all sorts, whether that be movement of limbs or creating plans. It made sense to place that image there because choosing what to eat at any point of the day requires planning even if it is the same thing.
In the bottom left, there is a speech bubble, and in it, I wrote some of the words that I remember us discussing in class. It is in that location because the lobe on the bottom part of the brain is the temporal lobe, which is responsible for some auditory aspects, as well as language and how we understand and give meaning to language. I thought that was the perfect placement for the speech bubble because during this course, I have listened and done my best to give meaning to the information that I am not very familiar with. The top right contains an image of the world, and the words are projecting from or heading toward the parietal lobe, which is responsible for aspects of space, such as spatial recognition, as well as how we interact with the environment, such as touch, temperature, and heat/cold. It also seemed like an appropriate spot to put the world because of those abilities.
The last quadrant contains an image that resembles something spiritual. I chose that image because I was interested in Pauline Oliveros’s “Sonic Meditation XVI,” which was a form of meditation that required people to vocalize with many others and follow instructions from a score such as “Each time sing a long tune with a complete breath until the whole group is singing the same pitch.” This sort of collaborative meditation seemed perfect for the bottom right because I can imagine that experience allowing people to view life in different ways; it allows individuals to connect with others through the sense of unity since everyone is going through some sort of adversity or struggle. In that sense, it was suitable to place that image in correlation with occipital lobe, which is responsible for visual perception. Figuratively, meditation can allow people to have a change in perspective and the way they view their life, so it seemed related to that.
The last part of my process was the words. For the most part, the words are different in each quadrant. There are very few repeated words, but they were mostly articles and conjunctions. I wanted words to be the main part because words are the largest part of our lives; we use them to connect with others through song, speech, papers, and so many other ways. They are versatile and important to us. The words in the brain are words that pertain to our nervous system, and those near the images are also pertaining to their subsequent images. The brain generates words and concepts that are in association with a particular topic, we access those words and choose the word that we feel is most appropriate for the situation. That is how I was able to think of so many words. There are also phrases, such as “light at the end of the tunnel,” which allowed me to show a piece of myself through this project, like my positive disposition. The structure was also important, and it was not random. As John Cage defined and demonstrated in his piece “Changes,” structure is something that should be given thought, and that is something that stuck with me. I wanted there to be a meaning or a model for why I arranged the words like that. I modeled my structure after the neurons in the brain. Neurons have a part called the dendrites, which are used to pass on messages to other neurons. These project long distances out to different locations in the body to either produce movement or send sensory information. I wanted the words to seem like they were projecting out from the brain or going toward it like the dendrites.
During the course of completing this mind map, I wanted it to be natural just like the functions of our bodies. Therefore, there were times where I had difficulty coming up with words. In those cases, I left that particular spot for some time until I was able to think of a new word. I think that was probably the biggest problem that I came across. However, I actually enjoyed the process, as it was quite relaxing and cool to see how many words I knew. I honestly did not know I knew so many words. I remember watching the video about Alison Knowles, and it seemed like she really enjoyed making art. That truly resonated with me. I don’t think art should be restrictive or very serious. If it is what many people love, it should be enjoyable and should not be restricted by the many different rules that people create. It was great to be able to see something that I thought of come to fruition and I am happy with what came to be.
