Art

Item Description

TITLE OF PIECE: 'Interpretation of a Brain Computer Interface'

INSPIRATION FOR THE PIECE - ARTIST NEUROSCIENTIST MATCH UP:

John F. Gerrard with the Branch Out funded project of Ephrem Zewdie from the University of Calgary and the Alberta Children's Hospital.

'Brain-Computer interfacing with Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis'

Ephrem and his team’s work is all about connection. Connecting the discrete world of binary computers, with the organic neurological realm of the brain. It’s also about stillness and movement, as they work to help people who lack the freedom to move and act freely when they want to. 

The brain computer interface technology (BCI) offers what Ephrem says is “a ray of light in an otherwise dark circumstance”. Sometimes the BCI is reconnecting the brain to the body, and sometimes it is connecting it to a robot/prosthetic. Regardless, the technology facilitates movement by connecting a thought as a trigger for an action. The very clever software they use can distinguish which EEG waves are related to which thought. It is amazing work, and I look forward to seeing how the technology progresses. 

My piece shows 3 variables. The black and white squares are connected to a variety of colour with T structures. The black and white represents the computer and the colour is brain / body on either side of the T which is the interface. The colour also represents the new pieces of movement and freedom that this research and technology offers. 

ARTIST BIO: 

John F. Gerrard

I am a multidisciplinary artist, with a focus on visual art. In my teens and 20s I was active creatively as a musician, touring across North America and playing locally. During this time I got my feet wet with visual art, doing graphic design work for bands and small businesses. I went to ACAD with the intention to pursue a design degree, but became obsessed with creating with charcoal and paint. I majored in drawing at ACAD and then went to work at a commercial sign company. I would eventually leave sign making to pursue my art practice full time. Since making this decision a couple years ago, I have been busy with markets and group shows, as well as 6 solo show opportunities. A highlight for me, was a solo show I put together called “Crowded Spirit” where I presented new work at Calgary’s CSpace. This year I have been making new work, and doing research for a conceptual piece as well as training as a peer support worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association.

My work is meant to evoke an energy and illusion of movement: To be busy but balanced. Sometimes the drawings are maps, maybe variations of a person. Sometimes I am creating a scene. There is something fundamentally human about making art, and the mystery of it all keeps me coming back to explore it again and again. Making images in this way creates a closeness to an instinctual region in the brain that I am fostering and developing. I am particularly interested in the work being metaphorical with respect to the mind. I imagine the mind as a system or grouping - an externalizer of essence. It can manifest in different ways, making things coherent with the conjuring of consciousness.

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