Your Brain on Art

I am completely honoured to share a new project I am involved in:

Branch Out Foundation was created by Crystal Phillips after she was diagnosed with MS and her desire to bridge holistic health with conventional neuroscience. Her hope was and is to help minimize neurological symptoms and reduce pharmaceuticals (the latter of which has traditionally received the research funding). 

The Branch Out Foundation has partnered neuroscientists with artists to render a response to Neuroscience research. Learn more about our upcoming fundraiser and showcase of these collaborative projects > Your Brain on Art to be held at cSPACE King Edward!

For the upcoming brain art event, I am collaborating with Kyle Mayr and his research on a Ketogenic diet and reduction of pain in spinal cord injuries. I spent a few hours of the past days learning and visiting with Kyle, his team and the lab at the Foothills Medical Centre (FMC), where it all happens!

See more on Crystal, Kyle and the other neuroscientists, in link below.

Stay tuned, and if you can, support this beautiful foundation and it's research.

Neuron Forest: The Art + Science of Life, Art, and Earth

 A Neuron Forest for the Trees

How is a forest similar to a neuron?

a comparison of my art above and a wiki image of a neuron

Fascinated by the recent conversation I had with two Neurologists, from University of Calgary, about a piece of my art as they saw not a forest but a bunch of neurons. I did some research on how neurons compare to forests.. and I now I am even more amazed. 

from WIKI, "A neuron is a nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system. Neurons are similar to other cells in the human body in a number of ways, but there is one key difference between neurons and other cells. Neurons are specialized to transmit information throughout the body."

from WIKI," The forest is a complex ecosystem consisting mainly of trees that buffer the earth and support a myriad of life forms. The trees help create a special environment which, in turn, affects the kinds of animals and plants that can exist in the forest. ... Plants provide habitat to different types of organisms."

Lastly, a short while ago I listened to a podcast on a Canadian Forester (female too!). She made a discovery on trees and forest communication. It seems that different species of trees in the same forest (limitless in size), send nutrients, health warnings, and when they are about to die, they send their carbon and minerals out to the rest of the trees. Listen to the full episode link below.

http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/…/podcast-radiolab-from-tree-to…/