What a great class! It was so fun to see people’s midterms, and hear them explain their thought processes. I also enjoyed having other people question and describe my own choice, the knitted brain art. Other students brought up points I had not previously reflected on; like the color-use of the brains scans reflecting different brain processes and level of activity, and how differently people perceived the piece without knowing its title and backstory.
This past week I’ve been thinking about my dopamine project. My group and I have decided to split the different aspects of dopamine amongst ourself, and create individual pieces, with the goal of creating a ‘journey’ of the dopamine. Starting with my work on the molecular structure of the dopamine, and how the carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen atoms bind together, and working up through dopamine’s function as a hormone, how dopamine controls pleasure, and finally how dopamine levels can impact disease. For my art work on the molecular structure, I was thinking of creating something small and connected to the body, and settled on the idea of jewellery. I plan on making simple dopamine bracelets to hand out to people at the festival, and use them to demonstrate the structure and bonds of the molecule. In addition, I like that the bracelet is worn on the body, emphasising how neurotransmitters affect us all. Hopefully this will make the project engaging and interactive for viewers. If I can’t make enough bracelets, I plan on making an additional ‘Do-It-Yourself kit’, with instructions on how to connect different beads and thread to make a dopamine bracelet, and make a larger version for simpler viewing.