OHBM 2024 BrainArt Competition

Beyond Borders

All humans are equal, but some are more equal than others (#1.1)

All humans are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Dani Beck

Language (#1.2)

How does the brain process language? Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows a network of cortical regions that activate as people complete language tasks. Interestingly, activity in this network is typically stronger for one hemisphere over the other. This artwork aims to depict this asymmetry. The two heads are two halves of the same individual, with the left half of the head displayed on the right side of the image. The piece draws inspiration from two types of brain image. The brain itself is based on a task map showing which parts of the cortex light up as a person reads or listens to language. A majority of people show stronger language activity on the left, and this individual is no exception. The rest of the head and neck are based off anatomical “T1” images, used to align activity across different trials. A recent trend in MRI research has been to focus on individual rather than group-averaged brains. This approach offers finer precision when mapping active regions, and avoids blurring. Here, all the data come from the same person. You might consider this a self-portrait. This piece also pays homage to the Woodland art movement, which developed from the art of First Nations peoples around the Great Lakes. The style uses a striking “x-ray” perspective; it moves beyond external physical boundaries to show the inner workings of animals and people. Although the movement has become distanced from spiritual significance, its style draws from traditional First Nation depictions of legends and cosmology and can be seen as both beautiful and as a source of knowledge. A similar duality exists for MRI images of the brain. By removing external boundaries, these images can reveal both the function and beauty of the brain. My work has attempted to view these images through a Woodland-inspired lens, to blur the boundaries between art and science and to unite these two contexts into a new perspective of life.

Joseph Salvo (https://josephsalvo.wordpress.com/art/)

Interconnected (#1.3)

Lisa Ohman (https://www.instagram.com/lisa_ohman_)

Bridging the Gap (#1.4)

Jennifer Teng

The Divided Brain (#1.5)

With this illustration, I aimed to depict the theme “Beyond Borders,” highlighting the division of neuroscience research into specialised domains. Whether these borders are human constructs or nature’s way to hinder our understanding of the brain is up to interpretation. I hope this image motivates viewers to reflect on how these borders can be broken, blurring the clear “coloured” division into one united shade of “yellow.”

Patricia Zvarova

Jury's winner

Public's winner (tied)

🏆Region of Interest (#1.6)

This piece aims to capture the somewhat arbitrary nature of the choices cognitive neuroscientists make in determining the focus our research. The coloured splatters represent the areas of interest imposed on the brain from the outside by scientists, with different colours representing different fads or trends in research focus. The drips, as they blend together and escape the confines of the embroidery hoop, symbolize the futility of attempting to compartmentalize and isolate specific brain functions. They suggest that the true nature of the brain lies beyond the artificial boundaries created by scientific inquiry, and that by focusing too narrowly on predefined regions, researchers may be missing the bigger picture. The concept of the drips falling on something outside the mind implies that the brain cannot be studied in isolation from the broader context in which it exists. The mind is not a self-contained entity, but rather an intricate network of interactions between the brain, body, and environment. By limiting their focus to the brain alone (not to mention particular regions!), neuroscientists risk overlooking the crucial role that external factors play in shaping cognition and behavior. Despite its claims to objectivity and rigor, neuroscience is ultimately a human endeavor, shaped by the biases, assumptions, and creative choices of the researchers who engage in it. Just as an artist’s work is influenced by their own perspective, aesthetic preferences, and the constraints of their medium, neuroscientific research is colored by the subjective interpretations and methodological limitations of those who conduct it. By acknowledging the limitations of current paradigms and opening itself up to alternative perspectives and methodologies, the field may be better equipped to capture the true complexity and fluidity of the mind.

Carolyn Davison (https://www.instagram.com/brainbroidery/)

Public's winner (tied)

🏆To be or not to be (#1.7)

This piece of work is about seeing and being seen. It is about flaws shining beyond borders, flaws that I have and you had no idea. Medical imaging resolves my borders and reveals eyes with -10 myopia, arachnoid cysts, bad tooth, and forearm implants with 14 screws. There is even more; even medical imaging can not help you see it all. But they are there, and it’s okay. (Own medical images obtained from the National health system were used.)

Hüden Neşe (https://x.com/meddcezirr)

To be together or not to be together (#1.8)

Genuinely being together requires loosening your borders. Thus, you can blossom together.

Hüden Neşe (https://x.com/meddcezirr)

Still Images

Crocheted neuron (#2.9)

Inside your brain and beyond, neurons are there everywhere.

Tahani Baakdhah (X/Instagram/TikTok: @thepurplelilac)

Jury's winner (TIED)

🏆Stained glass neuron (#2.10)

Handmade glass neuron made in the Tiffany technique using vintage blue and clear iridescent glass.

Nastassia Liaukouskaya (https://www.instagram.com/zauber_glas)

Human brain anatomy (#2.11)

This brain was made in the Tiffany technique, where each functional area is shown in yellow, purple and blue glass, symbolizing brilliance of thought, creativity, depth of emotions and complexity of human feelings.

Nastassia Liaukouskaya (https://www.instagram.com/zauber_glas)

Interchange (#2.12)

The Earth is a place that inspires us, connects us, and reminds us that we are a part of something much larger than ourselves. It is easy to overlook how thin the border is between ourselves and our surroundings, as well as the profound impacts that nature can have on our wellbeing. I invite you to see yourself without borders with the Earth and appreciate the impacts we exchange with it. It is our sacred home.

Christina Pantzer

Self Awareness (#2.13)

Where do we draw our sense of self? Is it the result of the brain’s conversation with itself? Instead is it an emergent property of large networks working in concert? This piece allows for both interpretations, using a style inspired by the Woodland art movement of First Nations people around the Great Lakes region.

Joseph Salvo (https://josephsalvo.wordpress.com/)

A Pons Pond (#2.14)

The pons is a bridge connecting the cerebral cortex to the cerebellum. It is also the bridge that connects us to nature and to the people around us.

Helen Zhu

Shadow Stain (#2.15)

I love how Golgi stains of neurons have a high contrast foreground and more diffused background so I wanted to replicate this effect with shadows of a three dimensional sculpture. I suspended a wire and fabric sculpture of a pyramidal neuron then used multiple light sources to create the shadows.

Elise Desbarats

Public's winner

🏆The Coronal Cut (#2.16)

A coronal cut of whole-brain fiber tractography

Alexander Leemans (https://www.providi-lab.org/)

The Brain Untangled (#2.17)

By representing tissue structures by fine repeated patterns, this artwork provides a creative touch to the concept of MR imaging.

Jana Osstyn

EEGWEAVER Psylocibin (#2.18)

How does our brain look like under psychedelics? A new outstanding discovery.

Simone Frettoli (https://www.instagram.com/eegweaver/)

The Mask (#2.19)

Behind my brain, my emotions, my mask

Steven West

🏆Prismatic Mind (#2.20)

"Prismatic Mind" is a brain art piece created using dichroic filter acrylic pieces. These pieces are arranged on a canvas to form the shape of a brain. When light passes through, the brain reflects a myriad of colors, shining brilliantly!

Ting Xu

Pictures to Prose

Vulcan2022-compressed - Allan McC.pdf

Vulcan (#3.21)

Allan McCay (https://sofizine.com/latest-edition/edition-10/)

OHBM_BrainArt_story - priyanka sigar.docx

The Magic Within: Healing the Dark Arts (#3.22)

Priyanka Sigar

OHBM_BrainArt_poem - priyanka sigar.docx

🏆The Maestro of the Mind: A Neurologist's Symphony (#3.23)

Priyanka Sigar

Jury's & public's winner

Videos and Animations

carot - javid dadashkarimi.mp4

Cross Atlas Remapping via Optimal Transport (CAROT) (#4.24)

Similar to how optimal transport was applied to efficiently distribute military resources, CAROT uses optimal transport to determine how to best redistribute data. For instance, if a connectome is based on an atlas that divides the brain into 200 regions, CAROT can essentially remap that data across an atlas with 300 brain regions without fundamentally changing the connectome itself.

Javid Dadashkarimi (https://news.yale.edu/2023/07/05/yale-researchers-encourage-brain-data-reuse-carot)

Time Silently/Saliently Decaying (#4.25)

Anirudh Wodeyar (https://www.instagram.com/anirudhw)

The Brain is Always Singing (#4.26)

Anirudh Wodeyar (https://www.instagram.com/anirudhw)

SalientDecay.mp4

Salient Decay (#4.27)

Anirudh Wodeyar (https://www.instagram.com/anirudhw)

The musical brain (#4.28)

Marianna Kapsetaki (https://kapsetakitwins.wixsite.com/mysite)

EXO CORTEX 3.0 v2 2K h265 stereo.mp4

EXO CORTEX 3.0 (#4.29)

Jeremy Oury (www.jeremyoury.fr / https://www.instagram.com/jeremy_oury)

Tai Chi in Brain (#4.30)

Xinian Zuo (https://twitter.com/zuoxinian)

🏆The Tagliatelle Brain (#4.31)

White matter fiber pathways of the human brain are shown with different colors and shapes to highlight the underlying tissue architecture. Similar to tagliatelle, sheet-like shapes can be observed along the trajectory of these pathways reflecting the intersections with other fiber tracts. The colors represent the orientations of the fiber tissue (red = left-right, green = front-back, blue = up-down). With this visualization one can appreciate the complexity of the brain’s circuitry, not only in terms of its global interconnectivity, but also with respect to its local geometrical embedding in the surrounding tissue.

Alexander Leemans (http://www.providi-lab.org)

Jury's & public's winner

ShemyakinaDianovPotapovOHBM2024_all7videosInOne.mp4

A new component of art! Beyond the borders! (#4.32)

The project comes from Neuroaesthetics field and covers the data from our neurophysiological investigations in the art galleries (art perception) and artists' studios while the perceptions/impressions were transformed into generative videos and own paintings. All the processes were fixed with EEG data. Generative algorithms gave an opportunity to create generative videos – all the changes that you can see in the videos are managed by the bioelectric activity of the artist’s brain – during watching the painting or during creating own. Colored particles live and evolute. The new component of art based on science is hidden in this project. Observed particles’ evolution and actions are transformed and influenced by bioelectric processes of the artist's brain. Initially the images are transformed from art perception and created by science.

Natalia Shemyakina, Ivan Dianov, Juri Potapov

AI Creations

Jury's & public's winner

🏆Sphere Mirror (#5.33)

In this Chinese traditional-style drawing, a central sphere of soil symbolizes the brain, encompassing various neurons and their intricate connections. From this sphere, a tree emerges, representing the external manifestations of human behavior, such as language, emotions, and actions. Below, a person gazes at a small part of the brain from a distance, symbolizing a neuroscientist studying the brain as objectively as possible from an external viewpoint. The sphere also acts like a large mirror and a universe, suggesting that people perceive the vastness of the brain universe through small fragments of the mirror. The ground where the neuroscientist stands signifies the need for a solid foundation in research, embodying both basic theories and inherent limitations. Finally, the sun in the upper left corner symbolizes the light of truth, aiding people in seeing the reflections within the fragments of the mirror. This drawing encompasses deeper meanings, inviting you to explore and interpret the intricate relationship between the mind, behavior, and the pursuit of brain knowledge.

Lan Zhou

Harvesting brain pathways (#5.34)

Fiber tractography based pathways being harvested like crops.

Alexander Leemans (http://www.providi-lab.org)

Hemi-Stapler Cortex (#5.35)

Oktay Agcaoglu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oktay-agcaoglu-028979138/)

DaVinci Outhere (#5.36)

Jean Lee

Hello Nellie (#5.37)

Jean Lee

Pandemic on the cortex (#5.38)

Jean Lee

Cerebral Citadel (#5.39)

Jean Lee

Beautiful Mistake

cmy_AD_video - Diana Giraldo.mp4

Colouring effects (#6.40)

Diana Giraldo

Jury's & public's winner

🏆Sidetracked (#6.41)

Fiber tractography with a bug in the definition of the camera properties. This has resulted in an unconventional topology / geometry of the fiber trajectories.

Alexander Leemans (http://www.providi-lab.org)

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