Memory Networks: Helene Nymann + Lauren Silbert

Pioneer Works residency director Regine Basha leads artist-in-residence Helene Nymann and in-house neuroscientist, Lauren Silbert in a discussion exploring the art of memory, the brain, and learning techniques to exercise memory networks. This conversation is the first in a Pioneer Works Channel sub-series, titled Convergences. The Convergences program is dedicated to the intersecting interests of Pioneer Works's creative practitioners from different fields and practices, and creates a space for when they choose to publicly share their research, art, and discussions on a given topic. The artistic practice of Copenhagen-based multi-disciplinary artist Helene Nymann (AKA “Ima”) addresses the notion of embodied knowledge and the way in which associative images stimulate memory. Interested in the borderline between the natural and the digital worlds, Nymann constructs performative environments in which the moving image, sound, and sculpture make way for transformative arrays of consciousness. Nymann received her BFA (Hons) from Goldsmiths College, University Of London and her MFA from Malmø Art Academy, Sweden. Lauren Silbert is a neuroscientist at Princeton University who studies the underlying neural correlates of communication. Her work focuses on interactive neuroscience where she has developed new technology and analytical tools to study the interaction between brains. She has been published in multiple scientific journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Journal of Neuroscience, and Neuron, and has been featured on radio shows such as NPR’s Radiolab and Voice of America. Lauren is also a visual artist and photographer, and has publically displayed her work in Berlin, New York, and The University of Pennsylvania. Her installations combine emerging scientific technology and findings with aesthetics, form, and interactive participation. Lauren has a PhD in Neuroscience from Princeton University, a Masters in Neuroscience from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, a Masters in Psychology from NYU, and a Bachelors in biology and photography from the University of Pennsylvania.

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