The Festival of the Brain This day long festival will feature a variety of guest speakers each of whom will present different areas of expertise and viewpoints relating to aspects and ideas of the brain.  The Festival of the Brain will take place during artist Jo Clements solo show at the gallery where she will be exploring visual representations of the brain alongside AR and AI interactions throughout the exhibition.

The festival will present a fascinating mix of questions and insights into the ways in which art and our understanding of the brain have developed throughout history and new research and approaches that contribute to a greater awareness of this field.  Presented for a public audience the festival and subsequent discussions will provide a deeper understanding of the artists practice and research, as well as an expansion on the themes being explored throughout the exhibition, through presentations, discussions and Q&A’s from internationally renowned experts in their fields.

The key note speaker for the festival is Professor Matthew Cobb who is an award winning author, teacher and translator. His book the Idea of The Brain, which examines the history of our perceptions of consciousness and cognition and the complexities and future possibilities for AI and machine learning, has been a major source of research for Clements’ exhibition.

Presentation themes will include: how our physical actions and subsequent neurological responses are related to artistic outputs; Neuro- diverse ways of experiencing and making art; scientific notions of consciousness; art and mental health; the science of face perception through a study of portraiture; science and art collaborations for stroke rehabilitation; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.