For this program Artist-in-Residence Lucy Kim and Rice University researcher Kirsten Adam as they discussed the capacity of human perception and image processing, drawing examples from their respective fields.  

As an artist, Kim investigates the underlying mechanisms that dictate our visual experience by using a broad variety of materials, ranging from oil paint, silicone rubbers, and resins, to live bacteria cells. By developing visceral, tactile, and less vision-centric artworks, Kim questions the limits of photographic documentation and the biases of biological and socio-cultural systems that impact visibility. Kirsten Adam, whose research explores the capacity and limits of the brain to process visual input, uses cognitive neuroscience methods like EEG monitoring and fMRI scans, as well as innovative behavioral measures to address central questions about how we succeed (and fail) at deploying our limited attentional resources.

More about the Participants:

Kim is an Associate Professor of Art at Boston University. She holds a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design (2001), and graduated from the Yale University School of Art with an MFA in painting and printmaking (2007).

Adam is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences at Rice University. Dr. Adam earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oregon, and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Chicago.