JULIA BUNTAINE HOEL
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ARTISTIC PORTFOLIO

Artist Statement | As an artist I am interested in what has proven to be the most complex puzzle, the epitome of emergence, the deepest well our sciences have examined; the brain. The instantiation of form and function united, from the molecular to the level of Neuroscience as a discipline, my work addresses the beliefs, theories and findings of the biological phenomenon of consciousness. Beginning with biological form or data, my work departs into the world of aesthetics as I manipulate the idea through the use of scale, metaphor, material and form. Unlike articles and raw data, scientific ideas in the form of art inherently demand subjective judgment and interpretation, and my goal as a science-based artist is to provide my viewer an alternative way to understand the wonders of biology we have discovered in ourselves.
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"Julia Buntaine, an artist fascinated with the intricacies of the brain, creates work that shows the beauty of data culled from neuroscience." ​- ​The New York Times

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My Life as a Lunatic (2019)

​As a young man, my great-grandfather spent 181 days in what was formerly known as the Arkansas Lunatic Asylum. Click image to view.
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The Art of Memory (2018)

Exploring the art of memory with Giordano Bruno. Click image to view.
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Territories (2017)

The map and the territory of the brain. Click image to view.
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For Pollock (2017)

Abstract expressionist neurons. Click image to view.


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Thoughts (2016-2017)

A visual exploration of neuronal groups. Click image to view.
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EEGellyfish (2016)

​What are the inherent aesthetic properties of the EEG headset? Click image to view.
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Windows into the Mind ​(2016)

Site-specific installation of rhesus macaque brain slides at Lafayette College. Click image to view.
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Wave(s)

What does two-dimensional brain data look like in 3D? Click image to view.
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January in the Frontal Lobe (2016)

How does the brain change from day to day? Click image to view.

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Neighborhoods (2014)

The comparative anatomy of two neighborhoods. Click image to view.
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The Unexpected Visitor by Ilya Repin (2014)

Are the traces of looking at art artful in themselves? Click image to view.
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Raw Feels (2014)

What is the feeling of the color red? Click image to view.
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Binding Problems (2014)

What does it looks like when our vision goes wrong? Click image to view.
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Visual Objective (2014)

What does the world look like to the retina? Click image to view.
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Simply Organic (2013)

Spice rack containing 44 neurotransmitters. Click image to view.
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What We See (2013)

Stimuli imagery from visual perception neuroscience and psychology experiments. Click image to view.
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Brainlines (2013)

Brain-related article headlines from The New York Times newspaper since its inception in 1851. Click image to view.
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The Space Between (2013)

What is the shape of communication between neurons? Click image to view.
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Butterflied (2013)

The butterflied, unfolded cortex of the brain, arranged to create a swarm. Click image to view.
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Brodmann's Subways (2013)

The NYC subway map as an alternative way to map the cortex. Click image to view.
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Empire State of Mind (2013)

Inspired by New York City architecture and the brain activity maps of fMRI. Click image to view.
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Verticality (2013)

A macro representation of the visual cortex. Click image to view.
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Visual System of Manhattan (2012)

How does the rhesus macaque visual system fit into our maps? Click image to view.
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Small Worlds (2012)

A mathematical graph of consciousness.  Click image to view.

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Stream of Consciousness (2011)

​Inspired by the work of William James. Click image to view.
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Enacted Memory (2010)

How does memory of an object hold from day to day? Click image to view.
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The Potential of Action Potentials (2010)

The action potential of neuronal communication takes another form. Click image to view.
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Hives (2010)

Representation of a hive-like clustering of neurons and the connections which form neuronal networks. Click image to view.
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Chemical Play (2010)

How do we treat the brain with chemicals? Click image to view.
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Spike (2009)

Exploration of the neuron in macro. Click image to view.
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Reading (2009)

Books are translated into ions. Click image to view.
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Family (2009)

Central nervous system portrait of a family. Click image to view.
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The Neural Correlate of Concrete (2009)

A play off the "neural correlate of consciousness." Click image to view.