Makings of a Mind

​

About the Gallery

​

Makings of a Mind explores the biological underpinnings of human aesthetic appreciation and creation which my self-designed Program II degree is based on, entitled “Evolutionary Neuroaesthetics.” The mystery of what makes forms significant is packaged within what are considered even larger modern mysteries: the brain and our own evolution as humans. Using art and science in tandem to discover how the emergence of aesthetic expression is woven into paradigms in philosophy, neuroscience, and evolutionary anthropology, I spent my time as a student at Duke seeking answers at this intersection. An artist of many forms – including music, photography, design, and illustration – I used my landscape pieces as a case study to illuminate the theories on the evolution of aesthetic appreciation. The gallery taps into a broader purpose, furthering our understanding of our own minds and senses by examining the ways in which we come to appreciate and find beauty in nature and our environment.

​

The gallery was split into three sections according to different aspects of my research for my senior capstone project on the cognitive and evolutionary origins of aesthetics. It also featured interactive components which allowed visitors to deepen their understanding of why we find things beautiful.