EVENT 3: SENSES + PERCEPTION

I attended Professor Vesna's lecture on the 28th regarding senses and perception. We started off watching a video called Solipsist, directed by Andrew Huang. Solipsism is the theory that the self all that can be known to exist. The video shows different people attempting to connect with each other, but ultimately remaining separate. I can't help but disagree with solipsism in a way because, though we only know our own mind, I feel that all living things are scientifically connected; we all started from the same seed and branched out into our separate species. Nevertheless, the video is comprised of amazing graphics and artwork.

Video: SOLIPSIST

Regarding our sense of sight, I was interested to learn of an experiment where scientists were able to visually reconstruct images people have seen by reading their brain activity. They used an MRI scanner to measure blood flow through the brain's visual cortex. If we can extract images from the brain, maybe it's possible to extract memories or dreams too. 

The lecture elaborated a lot on our sense of hearing and sounds in life. Acoustic ecology is the study of streams in the environment and how living things interact with the environment.We were given a bunch of audio tracks recorded from different places of different animals interacting with their environment. These sounds give us a way to hear mating calls and how living creatures communicate.

I thought the most interesting part of the lecture was the video about hearing small sounds. Using an anechoic chamber where walls are insulated and there is no echo, Jem Stansfield is able to hear a snail slithering across the ground, which he described as a "crisp packet rustling [its] way around the world." He is also able to hear maggots and the footsteps of a centipede. The video showed me how besides our world, there are also other worlds that we are not aware of, and frankly, everything makes sound. Our ears are just not sensitive enough to hear them. 

Here is a video showing the sounds of space that I thought was pretty interesting. We would think space would be quiet, but indeed, everything has sound.

Sources:

Coxworth, Ben. "Scientists Reconstruct Visual Stimuli by Reading Brain Activity." Gizmag. Gizmag, 23 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 July 2014. <http://www.gizmag.com/reconstructing-visual-stimuli/19934/>.

"How Loud Is a Slithering Snail? - Bang Goes The Theory - Series 6 Episode 2 - BBC One." YouTube. YouTube, 19 May 2012. Web. 30 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ4Bh2RkQhM>.

Huang, Andrew. "SOLIPSIST." Vimeo. Vimeo, LLC, 2012. Web. 30 July 2014. <http://vimeo.com/37848135>.

"NASA Space Sounds." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 30 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MmWeZHsQzs>.

Sondhi, Jason. "Solipsist by Andrew Huang | Experimental Short Film." Short of the Week. Short of the Week, n.d. Web. 30 July 2014. <http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2012/03/05/solipsist/>.