Art and science to unveil the secrets of the brain

«There are some things that words cannot explain, there are some things that scientists cannot discover.» This is a personal statement by the artist Lidó Rico. This may be the reason why the project «Genoarchitecture» was born, a combination of art and neuroscience. Two neuroscientists, Kuei Y. Tseng – neuroscientist at the Chicago Medical School – and José Luis Ferran –neurobiologist and professor at the University of Murcia –, met Lidó Rico in one of his exhibitions. The conversation meant a lot. Together they realized that their individual research on art and in the laboratory had the same goal: finding the reasons.

It was then when the exploration of the deep human behaviours that the artist showed in his works, on one hand, and the mind structure studied by the experts, on the other hand, started to share a connection that, it seems, will last for a long time. According to Lidó Rico, the knowledge captured in a piece of artwork allows you to overcome communication difficulties and makes society empathize with such a complex thing as it is brain functioning. Everything thanks to a much closer tool, because it appeals to the emotions and the most basic instincts of the human beings.

Soon exhibitions of «Genoarchitecture» will be held in a pre-established order: from simpler to more complex. Among others, the issues dealt with will be addictions and Alzheimer’s disease. Mètode already had the pleasure to have the collaboration of Lidó Rico for issue 89 of the magazine, The secrets of the brain, where you can see and enjoy his work.

Before, Lidó Rico used to use his own body as a mould to create his artistic works. He states that he likes «the plausibility, what it is real», meanwhile he detests cosmetics and make-up, because «a work of art does not have to be beautiful», but it needs «to excercise the neurons.» His perception about art has not changed, but his technique did. Now, with the collaboration of two neuroscientists, he got permission from the University of Murcia to use materials that are not necessary for research processes to create his art. Thus the artist composes a human brain.

This scientific and artistic exploration tool allows knowledge to cross the laboratories barriers and get to the public. Everything through art for a good reason: «When things are born from pure emotion, then they help us to ask ourselves how our environment works, and how we work, our reasons, why we are so rigid» Lidó Rico says. The artist appeals to reflection and demands the right to freedom. «Genoarchitectures» is his project to find it.

Marta Navarro. Journalism student at the University of Valencia.
© Mètode 2016.