Informatika

The installation art piece, Informatika, consists of 1,500 thought fragments mounted on the walls and ceiling of the Brincka Gallery, at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana.

The fragments are from previous large-scale canvas art works, which incorporated my own photographic memories, brain scan images, electroencephalograms and emergent words, concepts. The canvas works were dry mounted onto boards, and then cut to palm-sized elements. The installation covers 760 square feet of wall space, and 400 square feet of ceiling.

The word informatika, in several European languages, means the study of information processing. The installation pattern is a visual metaphor about information processing within neuronal networks. There is an emphasis on Cajal-Retzius cells which play a critical role in cerebral cortical development, and in the lateral (horizontal) interactions of cerebral cortical areas. It is these lateral neuronal interactions that give rise to visual awareness and to consciousness itself.

Neuronal drawings of the human visual cortex, made by the Nobel prize winning neuroscientist, Ramon y Cajal, were used as a source of inspiration for the actual neuronal patterns installed on the walls.

In the adjacent conference room, A Piece of My Mind, in the shape of my own brain, has been installed on the wall. It consists of 140 numbered and signed thought fragments and is approximately 5 x 6 feet in size. Each piece consists of archival-quality prints on paper from the Emergence series, dry mounted onto board. During the opening reception on January 14, 2012, each visitor took a piece of my mind home as a souvenir of the exhibit. By the end of the evening, I will be left mindless.

With special thanks to CarolAnn Brown for organizing this exhibit, and to John Jasniewski, Jammie Hayes and Ausrine Plioplys who helped install this exhibit.

The Informatika exhibition dates are January 14 to March 11, 2012.