Barcelona's CCCB combines art and science to explore complexity of brain

Around 300 pieces and 17 immersive art installations explore the complexity of the brain at the new  “Brain(s)” exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB), which can be seen from Wednesday until December 11. 

"Brain(s)" proposes a journey into the brain where language, memory, symbolic thinking, consciousness, and creativity are born. It questions human understanding of the conscious experience and explores what can happen when this experience is interrupted or damaged. It also looks into artificial and animal brains.

The initiative is a collaboration between the CCCB, the Wellcome Collection in London, and the Fundació Telefónica de Madrid. The project took inspiration from two independent shows 'Brains: The Mind as Matter' (2012) and 'States of Mind: Tracing the Edges of Consciousness' (2016).

Ramón y Cajal and Descartes originals

The exhibition is completed with audiovisual proposals and historical material, including the original drawings by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, period editions of Vesalius and René Descartes, and inventions of visionary scientists such as Leonardo Torres Quevedo and Lady Ada Lovelace. 

“Research in robotics, neuroscience, or biotechnology already brings social and health benefits. At the same time, the blurring of physical, biological, and digital boundaries leads us to think that we are facing a key moment in human evolution", said the organizers. 

The art show also includes a collection of works by contemporary artists such as Tomàs Saraceno, Patrick Tresset, Ivana Franke, Daniel Alexander, Andrew Carnie, Christian Fogarolli, Greg Dunn, Laramascoto, Louise K Wilson, William Utermohlen, Shona Illingworth, Imogen Stidworthy, Joaquim Jordà, Aya Ben Ron, Roc Parés, Joan Foncuberta, Stefan Kaegi, and Xavi Bou.