'Nerves in Patterns' is a sound artwork featuring an image of rat neurons translated into audio. This piece provides an alternative experience with neuronal data and ruminates on the synesthethic potential of biodigital information.

To create this work I cultured hippocampal rat neurons in a laboratory, imaged them with an inverted microscope and then translated the visual data into audio. This piece was created for the solo exhibition 'Nerves in Patterns on a Screen' at Paper Mountain in Perth (July 2014) and was completed in fulfilment of the Masters of Biological Art degree with SymbioticA at the University of Western Australia. 

Nerves in Patterns

'Action Potential' is a sound artwork in which an action potential from a rat neuron has been slowed down 1 million times. The tiny, electric whine of neuronal communication was translated into sluggish organic bass tones. By manipulating the speed of this recording, the discrete nature of the digital sampling is exposed and can be heard in the rhythmic pulsing.

This piece was created for the solo exhibition 'Nerves in Patterns on a Screen' at Paper Mountain in Perth (July 2014) and was completed in fulfilment of the Masters of Biological Art degree with SymbioticA at the University of Western Australia.



Action Potential

This is an audio sample from the artwork Futile Labor created by Ionat Zurr, Chris Salter, Oron Catts and Devon Ward. 

Futile Labor is an interactive installation featuring a living muscle, grown from individual mouse cells, that explores the edges of perception.

Futile Labor Audio Smaple - Low Rhythm Pulse

The sound artworks featured here first appeared in the solo exhibition by Devon Ward titled 'Nerves in Patterns on a Screen.' 

This exhibition repurposed a tool of neuroscience called a microelectrode array (MEA) for artistic exploration. The sound art pieces featured here were created by manipulating digital recordings from living rat neurons cultured in a laboratory at the University of Western Australia. 

The overarching theme of this project was to investigate the epistemic limits of using data to fully understand neuronal tissue. The exhibition also included multi-channel videos,  digital displays, computer installations, an artbook and neuronal rat tissue. The artworks were created in fulfilment of the Masters of Biological Art degree with SymbioticA at the University of Western Australia.The exhibition was held at the Paper Mountain gallery in Perth throughout the month of July, 2014. 

nervesinpatternsonascreen