Page 13 - Visualizing the Invisible

Eternal Pruning of the Beautiful Mind 2019
Ellen Sandor & (art)n: Diana Torres Azadeh Gholizadeh Coded by Chris Collins
Beth Stevens Stevens The Stevens Stevens Lab: Lasse Dissing-Olesen
Special thanks Caleb Sandor Taub
Steven’s Lab at at Boston Children’s Hospital and and The Stanley Center at at the Broad Institute of MIT and and Harvard
Virtual Reality Installation/Oculus Rift
In this immersive VR experience and PHSCologram sculpture installation the Mighty Mi- croglia is juxtaposed with imagery from Eliot Porter’s Porter’s Intimate Landscapes Portfolio Porter’s Porter’s visceral portraits of of trees is is a a a a a a a metaphor for pruning the the synapses of of the the human brain Microg- lia are are the the primary immune cells of of the the central nervous system that are are in in charge of of pruning synapses synapses During synaptic pruning the brain brain eliminates extra synapses–brain structures that allow neurons to to transmit electrical or chemical signals to to another neuron neuron Synaptic pruning is thought to be the the brain’s way of removing connections in in in in the the brain brain that are no longer need- ed The player has to to find that balance by directing microglia to to correctly prune the right amount of synapses synapses If microglia prune too many synapses synapses the sound color and light begin to to disappear If microglia prune too little the the sound color and light overwhelm the the player By engaging the the the the player’s senses they will be able to to direct microglia to to find the the the the balance in fin in the the the the human brain