UC Santa Barbara

The Brain Computer Interface (BCI) as a communication method has become very popular in the past several decades. This type of technology has also become more active in Human Computer Interaction for multimodal interaction and research. This research explores the intersection between art and neuroscience primarily from the perspective of a Media Artist. Neural activity generates electric and magnetic fields in the human brain and an Electro-encephalogram (EEG) device captures this activity. The captured neuronal activity can be used to control an application or environment. Reactive BCIs measure changes in a person's brain activity from external stimuli that someone needs to focus on. BCI technology can give us a useful entry point into examining how biological data can create the aesthetic attributes of our personal and biomedical information and the significance communicated by an artwork that has a technical interface as an essential component. By embracing BCI technology as a methodology and using it in art practice, makes this type of work visible to a public that has little direct contact with the works of scientists. The scientific precision of artistic BCI has been scrutinized, but the key value of artists’ use of this technology lies in the exploration of the emotive and educational impact of these types of technologies. This research looks into the effects that art may have on the brain, looking into visual illusions also known as optical illusions. Optical illusions are distortions of the senses, which are caused by the visual system. Visual perception is the brain's ability to make sense of what the eyes see. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive method used to measure and evaluate the electrical activity in the brain. Very few visual perception studies explore the link between neuroscience and the arts. Visual processing in the brain creates several types of visual evoked potentials (VEP) in our brainwaves. A VEP is an evoked potential caused by a visual stimulus, which is measured by the electrical response of the brain’s primary visual cortex to a visual stimulus. Another goal of this research is to develop a novel expressive interface using visual perceptive EEG data to create a computational language, that is, come up with a framework by converting VEP data into objects through specific algorithms and mappings that will provide sonic and/or visual output of this neurofeedback information. This is done primarily from an artist/composer (Art) standpoint using cognition and perception (Science). The proposed program utilizes brainwave data, by using VEP features triggered by optical illusions to manipulate audio/visuals. The research project exposes some significant considerations in the use of BCI technology for artistic purposes, like how to precisely collect and process EEG data aesthetically, as well as what license can be used with the data in order to create meaning or an environment for the audience themselves to bring meaning to the artwork. The interest lies in exploring how visual perception can inform and offer new forms of expression. This dissertation looks at artistic explorations and narratives that result in the analysis of BCI data, drawing on insights from the fields of cognitive neuroscience, neurofeedback, biology, Brain Art and Op Art. It also presents a novel approach in creating media artworks using VEP features and multimodal interaction to explore visual and sonic output. It also documents development of Visum and Aspecta, two BCI artworks by concentrating on the conceptual design, approach, methods and challenges. The overall goal is to offer pathways within the field of human computer interaction by creating art using visual sensory based methods of interfacing with computer systems that aim to amplify human qualities by creating art with them.