100 Pink Floyd fans invited to take part in brainwaves study
While listening to 'The Great Gig in the Sky'
Fans of Pink Floyd are being invited to take part in a large scale brain data study inspired by the recent 50th anniversary of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon.’
100 participants will be hooked up and have their brainwaves monitored while listening to a Dolby Atmos mix of The Dark Side of the Moon’s fifth track ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’, written by late-great Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright.
The project is being organised by Pollen Audio Group, Richard Wright Music and Dolby Laboratories, and the studies take place between Monday 2nd and Friday 6th October at Dolby’s Screening Room & Labs in Soho, London.
The brain capture session will take around half-an-hour, and each Pink Floyd fan that takes part will receive a unique piece of artwork based on their brain's reaction to the 1973 track.
A description of the Brainstorms Project reads: ‘Whilst we all naturally share the emotions that music evokes, the Brainstorms Project further enhances this perception by creating artistic and intuitive visual representations of how the brain responds when experiencing music in Dolby Atmos.
“A completely new way to create and experience music, Dolby Atmos goes beyond ordinary listening by immersing participants in the music, revealing details with unparalleled clarity and depth. Participants will feel like they are inside the song as the music and vocals are heard and felt all around them, drawing them into the musical experience.”
The statement continues: ‘In addition to a summary of their brain activity during the session, the Brainstorms Project will turn each participant’s brain data into beautiful, visualised artwork at the end of the recording session. The combined brain activity of all 100 participants will be transformed into a stunning, large-scale visualisation to be showcased at a public event, ‘Brainstorms’, in a leading immersive venue in London.
‘Rick Wright’s composition The Great Gig in The Sky, will be used as the stimulus for the project. As the song contains no lyrics and instead uses singer Clare Torry’s voice as an instrument, this allows for an uninterrupted focus on the brain’s response to the music itself. Using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, provided by leading neurotech company Emotiv Inc, the process will capture the subtle dynamics of neural activity, giving a snapshot of how the mind reacts to the song.’
Commenting on the Brainstorms Project Jane Gillard, Dolby’s Head of Music Partnerships for Europe, said, “We’re so excited to be working with Pollen and Gala Wright on the Brainstorms project.
“It’s an honour to be part of this special anniversary and take this iconic piece of music to new heights. A key focus for Dolby is delivering extraordinary experiences, so giving fans a chance to elevate their music listening and see how it affects the mind is amazing. We can’t wait to see the results come together at the art-installation.”
Richard Warp, CTO & Creative Director at Pollen, adds: “The journey Pollen have taken with Richard Wright Music over the last 12 months has been exhilarating as we dive into a new frontier of aesthetic exploration, which is centred on the deeply personal experience of sound and music.
“We are excited to show how, through readily available, non-invasive EEG technology – we can transform brain data from participants into an artistically stunning interpretation that can be easily accessed, understood, and appreciated.”
“At Pollen, we are constantly striving to push the boundaries of what is possible in the immersive arts, and Brainstorms is no exception. I feel privileged and fortunate to be working with Gala Wright as Creative Director, and Dolby’s support will be invaluable as we enter this first phase of the project.”
Those interested in taking part can sign up by visiting the Brainstorms Project RIGHT HERE. Applications close on 21st September.
The art installation ‘Brainstorms: The Great Gig in the Sky’ will be presented and open to the public at a London venue later in 2023.
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