is exploring the immortality of the deceased in
memory.
Memory is an intensely strong motif found in
much of Plioplys’ work. In his “Memory” series,
the artist’s own MRI brain scan images and
EEG tracings of his brain waves are incorporated within intense displays of color and complex wired systems. The pieces act as an almost
vibrant foil to Dunn’s more restrained (but no
less beautiful) gold leaf works.
patients for so many years. It’s absolutely incorrect for me to use other peoples’ suffering or
pain in my art. I can’t abuse that privilege—it’s
wrong.”
“I’ve seen an explosion of neuroscience-based
art in the last few years,” says Buntaine. “I think
it’s because the brain’s presence in the media
has skyrocketed in the last decade or so.” Very
rapidly, there are a lot of artists reacting to that
Plioplys isn’t simply concerned visualizing the presence and, Buntaine thinks, “finding out how
physical structure of the brain and nervous sys- beautiful the brain is. While neuroscience still
tem itself. In series of works called “Symphonic has a lot to figure out, the emotional power of
Thoughts,” he used EEG tracings of his brain
the brain seems to still hold a huge power over
waves taken in 1980 and integrated them as part scientists, artists, and every else in between. It’s
of a set of digital prints he made from surreally the most personal of the sciences. The brain
transformed photographs imbued with a great
gives us our experience of reality while creating
deal of emotion and sentiment from his life—
our experience of reality.”
“just as the central nervous system transforms
visual memories into co mplex and indecipher“I rarely know where I’m going with my next
able neuronal networks and interconnections,”
project far in advanced,” says Buntaine with
he wrote in a description for the series. In Chro- a laugh. “It’s pretty random.” But this kind of
modynamics, Plioplys employs a rainbow scale of foggy vision of the future seems to make perfect
color as part of an exploration into what memo- sense for this type of work. The human brain
ry looks like or how it exists at a subatomic and and nervous system is one of the great mysterlevel—certainly outside his realm of expertise,
ies of the biological world. It’s conceivable that
but a curious dive into quantum theory nonehumans might one day come to understand
theless.
everything that is happening around them—and
still have little clue to what’s going on in their
Although Plioplys is a neurologist, he makes
own heads. But that mystery is what drives both
clear that he only seeks to explore neuroscience artists and scientists toward exploring these
questions in his art and resists all persuasions to questions, in their own way.
explore clinical ideas. “It was a privilege to treat
Courtesy of artist Audrius Plioplys.
12
SciArt in America April 2015