Imagine hearing the hum of your brain, its electrical signals transformed into a symphony of sound. What would it reveal about your mind, your health, or the hidden rhythms of cognition?
A collaboration between the School of Music and the School of Medicine highlights how transforming brainwave data into sound may advance research in detecting conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
In the art installation, “Hearing the Invisible,” visitors will be able to hear the sounds of brain waves, turning cutting-edge neuroscience into a mesmerizing exploration of sound and space. Attendees can walk through a 25-foot interactive brain, hear live readings of EEG brain activity and enjoy a musical composition, inspired by the signals that course through our minds, created and performed by School of Music students.
This event runs Feb. 13-15 at the Tornabene Theatre. Admission is free.
- Feb. 13 | 6p – 8p; music at 7p
- Feb 14 | 4p – 8p; music at 7p
- Feb. 15 | 10a – 4p; music at 11:30a, 2p
The project, led by Dr. Tally M. Largent-Milnes from the Department of Pharmacology and Professor Cynthia Stokes from the School of Music, seeks to raise awareness of how sound could provide new diagnostic tools for brain health.
Hearing the Invisible
“Hearing the Invisible” demonstrates the power of transdisciplinary research which is co-equally led by an artist and a scientist, bringing together the expertise of both to create something completely new, surprising and impactful,” said Ellen McMahon, associate dean for research for the College of Fine Arts (CFA).
Stokes is one of nine CFA Integrative Arts Research Fellows, a partnership funded by Arizona Institute for Resilience and the Integrative Arts Research initiative designed to build resilience through arts research. Stokes’ research focus is on developing community through the power of live performance in unexpected locations using new media.
She is also a member for the RII-sponsored Research Leadership Institute (RLI), a cohort-based, faculty development program designed to cultivate emerging research leaders brought Stokes and Largent-Milnes together.
Largent-Milnes recalled the meeting. “We started talking, and I told her about my idea and asked her, ‘Can we make a musical composition out of EEG waves?’”
“I have a core belief: the arts, and opera especially, are central to communicating important concepts about our shared humanity,” said Stokes. “The arts are a powerful tool for explaining complex ideas in other fields. The result of this yearlong experience in RLI launched new possibilities for the arts to become a bridge to other learning content within our university’s academic and research ecosystem.”
What to Expect at the Event
Hearing the Invisible is an interdisciplinary showcase that combines art, music, and science to explore the brain’s hidden potential.
- A Walkable Brain Installation: This cutting-edge, immersive 3D experience allows audiences to “step inside” a representation of the human brain. The audiovisual installation features live readings of EEG data inside a 25-foot brain, and an Augmented Reality (AR) app where viewers can explore the brain’s structures and functions while listening to the audio readings.
- Original Music from Brainwaves: Hear a live performance of a musical piece based on real EEG data composed by a recent School of Music alumni Michael Vince (DMA ’24, Musical Arts — Composition) and performed by student musicians. (See performance times above)
- Behind-the-Scenes Insights: Learn about the science and artistry behind the project through a short documentary and view research posters and artwork submitted by students and faculty of their own research related to the installation.
“Present research has offered computational solutions to processing EEG brain activity, but musical and auditory methodologies have been under scrutinized, and may provide additional insights including diagnostic methodologies for diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Largent-Milnes.
“”Hearing the Invisible” seeks to highlight such possibilities and spread awareness for how we might unveil hidden pathologies of the body by leveraging academic methods for translating EEG activity into sound and music.”
Together with their students, Largent-Milnes and Stokes have developed an immersive installation that creates an impactful experience grounded in both art and science.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with the brain in ways you’ve never imagined.