Angel Lewis

La Trobe University

Andy Warhol + Ai Weiwei at the NGV

- ROLE

Producer


- FOR

La Trobe University


- DATE

December 2015 – April 2016


- TYPE

Installation


- URL

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/warhol-weiwei/thoughtography


La Trobe University was the official Learning Partner of the National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) summer exhibition, Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei.


We created an installation which could be bumped in and out easily for the Friday Nights and the NGV though summer.

Your brain on art.

How it works:


The user looks at selected Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei work from the exhibition while wearing a dry electrode electroencephalogram (EEG) headset. They also wear noise cancelling headphones, which are piped with soft white noise.

The EEG headset measures the electrical impulses coming mostly from the frontal lobe; the part of the brain most associated with reasoning and abstract thought. An algorithm is then used to create a unique thoughtograph.

The thoughtograph is a unique indication of how the mind reacts to the different pieces of art. Each coloured line reflects a different piece of art and what the brain was doing as they viewed the image. If their brain was engaged and thinking hard, then the lines will be thicker and wigglier. If they were disengaged or disinterested; then the line is smoother and thinner. The other lines relate to all other brainwaves.


Creative Director: Tim Holmes

Creative Team: Gabe Woodmansey and Kerem Sekerci

Agency: JWT Melbourne

Production company: Airbag Productions

Director/Technologist: Steven Nicholson