CEREBRAL ORB

The first stage of the Brain Light research project was creating an interface to provide an interactive art experience where no physical touch was required except the power of thoughts.  The interactive installation is controlled with a wireless headset that records the brain’s electrical activity and produces a shifting coloured orb of light driven by brain activity. Collaborating with a neuroscientist, Peter Simpson-Young Research Officer, MDA Australia and software developer and programmer Sam Gentle, the headset has been set to explore three brain frequencies: alpha (Blue, meditation), theta (Green, focus and attention) and beta (Red, excitement/agitation). These are translated into a sun-like orb light display. This technology reveals real-time neural activity, and shows how we can consciously control our brain’s bustling electrical activity and witness an internal feedback loop created by our constantly changing perception of the artwork.