What is this? |
My capstone project is a reflection of my personal interests combined with the thinking I have been doing durring AP lit. I decdided to focus my project on the intersection of art, drugs, and consciousness.
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Shifting because of covid-19
With the unexpected arrival of covid-19, the outcome of this project has shifted. Due to social distancing, the requirements for interviews, sources, and product were altered. In response, I decided to make a Ted Talk for my artifact and final project. I feel this format fits the information I want to convey, and I have always wanted to make a Ted Talk. You can find this talk under the capstone tab in the menu bar.
Original Thesis and outline
Thesis
Art could be a dangerous drug, we don’t really know, but even so, it is critical to the field of neuroscience.
Outline
Art could be a dangerous drug, we don’t really know, but even so, it is critical to the field of neuroscience.
Outline
- how we define art
- Artists and scientists
- What does our brain do when we take drugs?
- What does our brain do when we look at art?
- How are researchers in the field of neuroscience approaching understanding consciousness through art?
- Examples
- Therapy
- Music and technology
- Examples
- Explanation of how art and drugs are being used in neuroscience
Process Reflection #2
- What steps have you taken toward completing the written component of your project?
- In regards to the written component of my project, I finished my outline and I have been doing research to fully flush out my ideas. I have been working on piecing them all together nicely, so that the reader will be able to clearly understand the narrative I am trying to produce. I definitely need more research though.
- What are the most important ideas you have discovered through your working answers to your central question? What have you discovered that others must understand in order to really understand the most important idea/s in your project? What do you need others to understand in order to really understand the significance of your project?
- I have started to realize how little we truly know about the brain. I thought that there would be more structured and concrete evidence and discoveries related to my topic, but because our knowledge of the brain is so limited, the research experience has been very unique. I feel like I am doing a research obstacle course. Whenever I think I have begun to find information that answers my question, I come up with more questions, and the pattern repeats itself. In order to understand my topic, you have to be ok with having questions which remain unanswered. Though we know that art and drugs create powerful responses in the brain, we are unsure of exactly what those responses are. This is complex because in order to answer that question, we would have to answer the question of what consciousness is, and of course, that is a big question to answer.
- What experience could you create so that someone could discover the central idea/s above through having or interacting with that experience? Think of as many ways as possible. These interactive experiences are possible artifact ideas!
- I think I could produce some sort of art that is reflective of people talking about their drug experiences. I would want people to write down how they felt. Perhaps they could all write one word to explain the experience on a sticky note and stick it on a board - then the board would become a form of its own consciousness.
- What more do you need?
- I need time. I think it would be helpful if we had structured time built in as homework to work on only capstone. I am having difficulty organizing my time with all the craziness going on.
REVISED Capstone Project Narrative + Research Components
Actions and Intentions.
This source is chapter 6 of Free Will, Causality, and Neuroscience, written by Sofia Bonicalzi. The name of this chapter is Actions and Intentions, and it gives a more constructive perspective regarding how philosophy and cognitive neuroscience can jointly improve our comprehension of
intentional agency. The purpose of this debate is to reconcile the claim that conscious intentions have to play a role in causing actions with a naturalistic understanding of how cognitive processes unfold.
This debate will be essential to my project because it will give me insight into the science world, cognitive process, consciousness, and agency. It will allow me to gain a surface level vocabulary on the first read through, and then I can gain a depth of knowledge as I start the process of reading more closely.
Art and the Mind
This is the introduction to a compilation of pieces written about perception. It defines terms which are used in the compilation which apply to the topic and give baseline understanding of concepts, allowing for further research. For example, “Art is the con- sequence of human thought. Art is a product of the mind. What artists make are images or symbols; meaningful markings, sounds, movements, and other events the purpose of which is to communicate these meanings.
This introduction and also complete piece will give me access to many writings about perception which is critical to the study of consciousness in art. The vocabulary it provides will be great to lay a foundation for my project, and it gives me good tools to take into further research. I am excited to read the whole thing in greater depth.
Seeing Is Deceiving: Rock Art and the Non-Visual
The source is written about the use of all senses when it comes to perception. It dates back to one of the most primitive forms of art - rock art - and uses it to build an argument. The purpose of this article is to explain the importance of using all our senses when it comes to aesthetics
This article is interesting because it delves into the other senses that you experience when you interact with art. It additionally points out the harm in limiting ourselves to the visual. This gave me an interesting perspective for moving forward with my project, as it reminded me to keep all the senses involved as I further my research.
Altered States and the Study of Consciousness — The Case of Ayahuasca.
This is a paper that is part of a larger research project about the phenomenology of the state of mind that is induced by ayahuasca. To write about this, this focus is the human brain's states of consciousness and what it looks like when it shifts. Some of the results reflected normal versions of consciousness and some were bizarre. The data showed that the results can vary and the study can be used as a general study of consciousness that delved into exploring alternative states of mind.
This research paper is about consciousness after being stimulated by a specific plant, but the results are interesting and I feel they are applicable to my research. I would like to draw connections between the brains state on drugs and when stimulated by art. I would like to look into the chemicals released during both experiences.
Art and the Brain
This article is specifically about the the relationship between the brain and art. It speaks to visual perception and appreciation. It tells about research in this field and admits that it is a more recent process. In the past, research on this subject was mainly related to very famous works of art.
This article is spot on for my project. It is centered around the same ideas that I would like to explore, and I am going to look closely at their references, so I can get as much information as possible. I was happy to find this article because it assured me that what I am researching is legitimate.
This source is chapter 6 of Free Will, Causality, and Neuroscience, written by Sofia Bonicalzi. The name of this chapter is Actions and Intentions, and it gives a more constructive perspective regarding how philosophy and cognitive neuroscience can jointly improve our comprehension of
intentional agency. The purpose of this debate is to reconcile the claim that conscious intentions have to play a role in causing actions with a naturalistic understanding of how cognitive processes unfold.
This debate will be essential to my project because it will give me insight into the science world, cognitive process, consciousness, and agency. It will allow me to gain a surface level vocabulary on the first read through, and then I can gain a depth of knowledge as I start the process of reading more closely.
Art and the Mind
This is the introduction to a compilation of pieces written about perception. It defines terms which are used in the compilation which apply to the topic and give baseline understanding of concepts, allowing for further research. For example, “Art is the con- sequence of human thought. Art is a product of the mind. What artists make are images or symbols; meaningful markings, sounds, movements, and other events the purpose of which is to communicate these meanings.
This introduction and also complete piece will give me access to many writings about perception which is critical to the study of consciousness in art. The vocabulary it provides will be great to lay a foundation for my project, and it gives me good tools to take into further research. I am excited to read the whole thing in greater depth.
Seeing Is Deceiving: Rock Art and the Non-Visual
The source is written about the use of all senses when it comes to perception. It dates back to one of the most primitive forms of art - rock art - and uses it to build an argument. The purpose of this article is to explain the importance of using all our senses when it comes to aesthetics
This article is interesting because it delves into the other senses that you experience when you interact with art. It additionally points out the harm in limiting ourselves to the visual. This gave me an interesting perspective for moving forward with my project, as it reminded me to keep all the senses involved as I further my research.
Altered States and the Study of Consciousness — The Case of Ayahuasca.
This is a paper that is part of a larger research project about the phenomenology of the state of mind that is induced by ayahuasca. To write about this, this focus is the human brain's states of consciousness and what it looks like when it shifts. Some of the results reflected normal versions of consciousness and some were bizarre. The data showed that the results can vary and the study can be used as a general study of consciousness that delved into exploring alternative states of mind.
This research paper is about consciousness after being stimulated by a specific plant, but the results are interesting and I feel they are applicable to my research. I would like to draw connections between the brains state on drugs and when stimulated by art. I would like to look into the chemicals released during both experiences.
Art and the Brain
This article is specifically about the the relationship between the brain and art. It speaks to visual perception and appreciation. It tells about research in this field and admits that it is a more recent process. In the past, research on this subject was mainly related to very famous works of art.
This article is spot on for my project. It is centered around the same ideas that I would like to explore, and I am going to look closely at their references, so I can get as much information as possible. I was happy to find this article because it assured me that what I am researching is legitimate.
Thinking and Planning
I started doing some research on neurobiology, and I began reading The Flip by Jefferey Kripal. These two things have given me an interesting platform to jump from.
Internally, I am planning on speaking with DW, Dr. Holt, and Mr. Clark because I want to continue the dialogue which we started first semester. I think it would also be interesting to talk to various art teachers at Galloway like Ms. G, Ms. Ruttan, and Ms. Hall. I hope the first time I talk to these people I will be able to form a better idea of exactly what I want to focus on for my project. The conversations should give me a good base of vocabulary, and I also think these teachers could recommend additional outside sources. I would like to ask these teachers what they think the intersection of consciousness and art is? Why as a species, do we have the capacity for creativity and consciousness, but no other species that we know of also does? And, how does someone spell something into existence?
Externally, I would like to communicate with Jessi Heneghan and Geshe Ngawang Phende. Jessi is a therapist who is versed in play and art therapy, and I think she could give me interesting insight to these practices. Geshe Ngawang Phend is a teacher at the Drepung Loseling Monastery, and I think he could give me an interesting perspective on consciousness. I would like to ask them the same questions as my internal sources, but I additionally want to ask them about the practices they maintain that relate to this topic.
To continue developing my thinking, I need to ask myself why I chose my topic and let those initial feelings give me guidance to my focus.
I need to do more personal research and continue reading about my topic. Reading and also starting open dialogue with my sources should put me on the right track.
Internally, I am planning on speaking with DW, Dr. Holt, and Mr. Clark because I want to continue the dialogue which we started first semester. I think it would also be interesting to talk to various art teachers at Galloway like Ms. G, Ms. Ruttan, and Ms. Hall. I hope the first time I talk to these people I will be able to form a better idea of exactly what I want to focus on for my project. The conversations should give me a good base of vocabulary, and I also think these teachers could recommend additional outside sources. I would like to ask these teachers what they think the intersection of consciousness and art is? Why as a species, do we have the capacity for creativity and consciousness, but no other species that we know of also does? And, how does someone spell something into existence?
Externally, I would like to communicate with Jessi Heneghan and Geshe Ngawang Phende. Jessi is a therapist who is versed in play and art therapy, and I think she could give me interesting insight to these practices. Geshe Ngawang Phend is a teacher at the Drepung Loseling Monastery, and I think he could give me an interesting perspective on consciousness. I would like to ask them the same questions as my internal sources, but I additionally want to ask them about the practices they maintain that relate to this topic.
To continue developing my thinking, I need to ask myself why I chose my topic and let those initial feelings give me guidance to my focus.
I need to do more personal research and continue reading about my topic. Reading and also starting open dialogue with my sources should put me on the right track.