Art Fund and Pablo have teamed up with The Mil Experience to create innovative technology that shows the impact that art and culture have on the brain.
Using headsets to record people’s brainwaves as they visit galleries and museums, the technology converts those brainwaves into live visuals to demonstrate their brain activity at that exact moment.
With the nation’s art-going habits yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels along with the strain on wallets during the cost of living crisis, Art Fund and Pablo looked for new and innovative ways to demonstrate the value of art.
The activity is part of a new campaign for Art Fund, aimed at showing the value of art and the benefits of visiting museums and galleries with a National Art Pass — a membership card which offers discounts across UK museums and galleries.
The campaign launched with an event at The Courtauld Gallery, where press and members of the public had the opportunity to wear the headsets as they looked at world-renowned artworks. Their brainwaves were visualised in real-time on a screen, and at the end of the experience, they were able to take home a bespoke film of their own brainwaves.
Jenny Waldman, Art Fund Director, said, ‘At Art Fund we want to encourage everyone to share in great art and culture. By visualising the way engaging with amazing art and objects can truly impact us, we hope we will inspire more people to explore museums and galleries on their doorstep.’
There are plans to take the event on tour to select museums in 2024, so people all across the UK can try the headsets and experience the power of art and culture for themselves.
Dan Watts, Executive Creative Director at Pablo said, ‘Your responses to art are not just visceral but also subconscious, and can have a lasting impact on how you see the world. You’re not just looking at art, you’re shaping your brain and who you are as a person for the better.’
