Message Board Topic (EC): The Brain-Universe & Neurocosmology

Todd Siler is a cosmologist and theorist who has proposed a new way of looking at the human brain and the universe. He has developed a new, interdisciplinary field called neurocosmology which is based on his previous work: artscience (a field which combines art and science). Neurocosmology states that the brain and the universe are organized the same way – they have the same patterns. Below you can see an image of a mouse’s brain cell and a computer generated image of the universe. The similarities between the two images seems undeniable – the patterns are the same!

Why is this important? What do you think this means? How does seeing the image below seem to better justify Todd Siler’s theories?

Message Board Topic: Where is My Mind?

How does the mind relate to the brain? Some theorists think that the mind is the software or program application whereas the brain is the hardware or computer. Other theorists do not agree with this model/metaphor for the brain and mind.

This dilemma is called the mind/body problem and has been tackled by philosophers and psychologists alike. What do you think? Where is the mind? What is the mind? Does it exist in the brain or outside the brain?

Once you have determined where the mind is, think about where creativity exists. How do you define creativity? What makes someone or something creative?

Message Board Topic: S-Curves - Why or Why Not?

S-Curves are elusive, interesting and eye-catching. Why? What is it about the S-Curve that draws the attention of the viewer? Furthermore, why are s-curves so intimately tied to the female form?

For the most part, art historians and artists have identified the s-curve in the female form, but not in the male. Is this a bias of a male-dominated discipline for centuries and centuries? Is it because males establish the rules and are (for the most part) attracted to the female form? Or is there something inherent in the female/s-curve that is beautiful?

Think of examples of non-female s-curves. The fact that non-feminine s-curves exist; does this prove that there is an inherent beauty not tied a previously male-dominated field?

Message Board Topic: Impressionism Dilemmas

It has been said that one of the prime motivations for the Impressionists to develop a painterly style that rejected the practices of Classicism and Realism, is due to the invention of photography. What would be the point of painting if the photograph could represent the outside world more realistically and more accurately than a painter ever could?

Do you think the technology of the future will eventually cause similar shifts in modern art? Do you think technology will replace the artist?

Can you think of similar situations that photography or digital art might have gone through or will go through like painting did during the late nineteenth century?

Message Board Topic: Stolen Spirits

Some indigenous peoples believe that if you take their photograph you will “steal their spirit.” Their name and their image are so interconnected to their identity, that they are actually one in the same. This means if you say or know their name you have a certain amount power over them. And if you take their image you have even more power over them.

How much do you think your image is tied to who you are or how you define your identity?

Why do you think these people feel this way about their image?

Are there similarities to how we feel about our own personal image?

Message Board Topic: Ethics of Editing

With the uses of Photoshop and editing becoming more and more realistic, there is a moral dilemma concerning "what is too much editing?" Here are some examples of how editing has changed reality/history: 1) the Postal Service removed cigarettes from artist Jackson Pollock and Blues guitarist Robert Johnson portraits to align the stamps with the Federal Government's no-smoking policy, 2) airbrushing changes the figures of women in magazines (incresing bust size, decreasing waste line, altering shape etc.) and 3) changing the colors of galactic/stellar pictures to what "scientists believe are the correct colors."

What do you think? What are the ethical problems of editing photos? Is there a line we should not cross?

Message Board Topic: Art or Technology?

There are some who would argue that technology ruins the experience of the artist and prevents the artist from being connected to his/her craft. Some will even go as far to say, that an artist that uses technology is no longer an artist but practices in the technical fields (information tech, drafting etc.). How would you respond to someone who says this? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Message Board Topic: The Advent of Photography

Photography has a confusing and complicated history. Photography’s origins lie within both science and art – perfected and developed by artists and scientists alike. With this said, what is photography? A science or an art? Make an argument for both a science and an art. Then decide if photography is predominantly more art or science.

Welcome to the IMAGE FORUM

We appreciate you visiting THE IMAGE FORUM & encourage you to keep coming back to view new work and updated posts by our artists. THE IMAGE FORUM's mission is to showcase original, innovative and aesthetically pleasing work created by talented artists who THINK OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY.

THE IMAGE FORUM is a community of young artists who gather to showcase their work, critique one another, discuss art in history and as a career, debate art's role in society and other topics concerning digital art in general. THE IMAGE FORUM offers information about young artists, their ideas and their work. Our artists continue to supply samples from their portfolios, personal biographies, articles concerning art topics, and commentaries & reviews of their pieces.

Each week you will find our artists creating various TYPES of POSTS, as seen below: