The Eye's Mind - a study of the visual imagination

at University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter , EX1 2LU United Kingdom

1. College & University

A study of the visual imagination from both cultural and scientific perspectives, based at the University of Exeter Medical School

Description

‘The Eye's Mind - a study of the neural basis of visual imagination and its role in culture’ is a research project based at the University of Exeter Medical School, UK, and funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Innovation Award. It is supervised jointly by the neurologist Adam Zeman, who has a wide interest in the neural basis of experience, in collaboration with the art historian John Onians, who is a pioneer in the use of neuroscience in the humanities. The project unites researchers and disciplines normally isolated from one another in order to study our distinctively human ability to imagine and highlight links between our experience, brain science and art, and throw light on the wide variation in our capacity to 'visualise'. The project investigates the visual imagination from both scientific and artistic positions, pursuing three related strands of enquiry: Strand 1: A systematic meta-analysis of the large body of research that has examined what happens in the brain when we imagine – and specifically ‘visualise’ - searching for consistent patterns in the varied and sometimes conflicting results of previous studies. Strand 2: A review of the insights into and theories of visual imagination which artists, students of art, philosophers and others have proposed over the two and half thousand years since such thinking began. We ask what questions are raised, by these insights and theories, for the science of imagination. Strand 3: A study of individuals whose visual imagery lies at the extremes of the vividness spectrum. A small proportion of healthy individuals, perhaps two or three in a hundred, lack visual imagination completely, a condition for which we have coined the term 'aphantasia'. We will recruit a group of such people and compare them with a group who use imagery constantly in their work as visual artists, using interviews, brain imaging techniques, and psychological tests. The ‘Eye’s Mind’ researchers are keen to hear from those whose visual imagery lies at the extremes of the vividness spectrum. If you would be interested in taking part in research, please get in touch via the Eye's Mind website. This Facebook page is intended to present updates of the project's research, connect with related research, and provide a point of contact for those interested in the project's work.

General Info

PEOPLE The Eye’s Mind team consists of neurologist Professor Adam Zeman, neuroscientist Dr Crawford Winlove, philosopher Professor Fiona Macpherson, art historian Professor John Onians, artist Susan Aldworth, and the project’s post-doctoral researcher, Dr Matthew MacKisack. LINKS 2015 New York Times article on aphantasia: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/science/aphantasia-minds-eye-blind.html?_r=2 2015 paper 'Lives without imagery – congenital aphantasia': http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010945215001781 2010 article covering Prof Adam Zeman’s work on ‘blind imagination’: http://discovermagazine.com/2010/mar/23-the-brain-look-deep-into-minds-eye Prof John Onians interviewed on connections between neuroscience and the humanities: http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/neuro-ways-seeing Prof Fiona Macpherson’s Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience at the University of Glasgow: http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/humanities/research/philosophyresearch/cspe/ Artist Susan Aldworth’s website: www.susanaldworth.com Project funder the Arts and Humanities Research Council: http://www.sciculture.ac.uk/awards/innovation-awards/ DISCUSSION Differences in the capacity for – and experience of – visualisation are much discussed on the web and via social media: Psychsciencenotes blog http://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/cant-form-mental-image-no-big-deal.html?showComment=1407558912613&m=1 Dfan blog http://dfan.org/blog/2010/01/23/i-still-dont-see-anything-when-i-close-my-eyes/ Markovian Musings blog http://markovianmusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/aphantasia-and-sdam.html Aphantasia (Non-Imager / Mental Blindness) Awareness Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/204603509580186/ Aphantasia: When the Mind's Eye is Blind https://www.facebook.com/aphantasia?fref=ts

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Summary

The Eye's Mind - a study of the visual imagination is Exeter based place and this enity listed in College & University category. Located at University of Exeter Medical School EX1 2LU.