Patterns of Pathology & Biomedical Visions

The panel talk brings together three experts working at the intersection of art and science: Dr. Marlene Bart, visual artist and researcher; Dr. Flora Lysen, assistant professor and researcher in the Maastricht University Science, Technology and Society research group (MUSTS); and Elizabeth Hughes, a publications manager in Dept. II of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.

This year marks a significant milestone: 100 years of electroencephalography (EEG). Since Hans Berger's first measurement of the brain's electrical activity in 1924, EEG has become an indispensable tool in neurology. Despite its importance, EEG provides only a limited glimpse into the complexity of the human brain, raising intriguing questions from both scientific and artistic perspectives.

Flora Lysen brings a scientific viewpoint (specifically a humanities perspective on scientific practices) to the panel talk. Her research focuses on scientific visualisation and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for interpreting data, including EEG. She examines the ethical issues connected to AI, such as techno-solutionism and discriminatory practices.

Dr. Marlene Bart complements this scientific perspective with her artistic practice. Her work revolves around systems of order and knowledge, which she reinterprets and questions through artistic means. Bart's transdisciplinary approach creates new access points to scientific research material, offering innovative perspectives on the data. Her collaborative project with Lysen, "Patterns of Pathology: finding the normal and abnormal in a sea of brainwaves," explores how artistic and scientific methods can be integrated to visualise and interpret EEG data. Bart is developing an artistic work that incorporates her exchanges with Lysen, further deepening the interdisciplinary collaboration.

Elizabeth Hughes contributes her expertise as an editor for "Biomedical Visions." She examines the role of images in biomedicine and their impact on our understanding of health and illness. Her work highlights how visual representations can reinforce existing biases and create new forms of epistemic inequality. Hughes played a crucial role in connecting Bart and Lysen within the framework of "Biomedical Visions," facilitating their interdisciplinary collaboration.

During the panel talk, the participants will discuss how artistic practices can interpret and make scientific data accessible, the ethical challenges of using AI to interpret EEG data, and how visual representations in biomedicine influence our understanding of health and illness. They will also emphasise the importance of collaboration between artists, scientists, and medical professionals to generate new insights and enrich societal discourse.

This interdisciplinary discussion provides a comprehensive look at the opportunities and challenges at the nexus of art and science. It demonstrates how artistic approaches can enhance the visualisation of scientific findings and the role these visualisations play in communicating complex issues to the public.