THE COLORFUL LIFE OF A NEURON

One of the things I have always loved about New York is that it engages you. Choices abound and art lovers like me literally have something new to go see every day.

This time, my inner nerd came to surface and suggested a show that gets in your head - literally. Created by ARTECHOUSE Studio in partnership with Society for Neuroscience (SfN) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of SfN, the show is the first of its kind to use data to bring key neuroscience principles to life. The show allows visitors to walk into a real-life 3D model of a human prefrontal cortex neuron — the “thinking cell” of the brain — and see it grow from birth through death.

While I have been to Artechouse’s tech-powered shows before (last year they had a great one co-created by Refik Anadol), this one felt even more mesmerizing. Watching an artfully presented depiction of the goings-on of a human brain is interesting enough on its own, but combine it with vivid, pulsating color, ever evolving shapes, simple yet evocative sound cues and mesmerizing digital animation and suddenly, you’re transported into a whole new world. Neural pathways coming to life in front of your eyes resembling Brazilian rainforest, forming and re-forming, reflecting joy and play and changing again at signs of stress and trauma. It is fascinating and I loved it.

ARTECHOUSE, located in NYC’s Chelsea market, is the nation’s first innovative art organization dedicated to the intersection of art, science and technology. It produces technology driven exhibitions using the largest seamless megapixel count projections of any cultural institution and integrating Hyperreal Sound technology. The current show runs through November 13.

ENTER THE DARK BLUE SPACE. ESCAPE THE WORLD OUTSIDE

This year has brought all sorts of emotions. The fear of the unknown pandemic, the boredom of home confinement, the elation when the initial set of lockdown restrictions lifted and we could step out and exhale, even if only for a brief moment. The joy of seeing friends in person for the first time in months. The dread as the infections rate spiked up again and the despair with the reintroduction of lockdowns.

Inspired by the ups and downs that have defined 2020, Artechouse, the recent experiential installation arrival on the NYC art scene, picked a color that is meant to soothe and steady us. Blue. Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year ClassicBlue to be exact. Pairing the reliable, restful color with a search for deeper meaning and inspiration, Artechouse delivers “Celestial”, a “journey beyond the skies.”

So come with me. Enter the dark old boiler room under the sprawling Chelsea Market. Find a (socially distanced) spot and let the swirling, spinning, multiplying array of digitally powered shapes, lines, dots and forms in every shade of blue wash over you. Pulling you away from the world outside. Letting your imagination run wild. Energizing and centering you at the same time.

Sitting in the darkened space watching the shape-shifting scenery, the Czech in me couldn’t help but be reminded of a famous Czech song by Jaroslav Jezek. “Tmavomodry svet” (The World in Dark Blue) was inspired by the composer’s disability (he was almost blind and could only distinguish some dark blue shades) but it would have fit well here, too. A small, fleeting connection to home that is so far, far away right now. One tiny moment to be grateful for. What memories and ideas will the show inspire in you?