On a stormy Thursday evening on June 12th, we welcomed neurobiologist Dr. Hannah Monyer and comic artist Jens Harder for a discussion at our 4th and final edition of the Hybrid Encounters series. The conversation was moderated by Tobias Hülswitt.
After an introduction of the series from Hybrid Plattform Project Coordinator Nina Horstmann, Tobias Hülswitt introduced our two guests and the topic of the evening: "Art Meets Science - Thinking in Pictures".
Presented with an image from Jens Harder which combined abstract, religious, and scientific forms, the first topic of the discussion was an inquiry into the methods of learning through images. It proceeded into a description of how Harder structures aspects of his creative process and how visual references are organized to communicate information which extends through aeons of evolution. This set the foundation for one of the fundamental questions of the evening: how humans (and mice) process and structure new information, and the development of memory over time.
Dr. Hannah Monyer gave extensive and wonderfully understandable explanations of the neuroscience of memory, learning, and the role of space, time and environmental factors in cognitive functions. Over the duration of the discussion, Monyer and Harder shared a plethora of examples from their experience on how we as humans organize visual stimuli, both as recorded static image, and in our real-time confrontations with the external (and internal, cognitive) world.
When the discussion was over an unexpected announcement was made by Jens Harder: he promised a visual memory of the evening. Once the image (or comic striop) of this event will be available you can find it online on this website.
After a brief but highly engaged Q&A session, guests and public enjoyed a few hours of informal chat over drinks and pretzels in the Lichthof of TU Berlin.
- Brad