IMAGE - The artist wearing her BrainPort device, holding a ceramic mold of a camera.

Indigo Mind presents a lecture-performance by artist Emilie Gossiaux. The BrainPort is a sensory substitution device used as a visual aid by artist Emilie Gossiaux in her art practice. In a nutshell, the device is a pair of sunglasses with a camera attached to the nose bridge. Video images from the camera are converted into tiny electrode shocks occurring in a mouthpiece that sits on her tongue. Gossiaux then translates the electrode shocks into images in her brain, enabling her to roughly “see” what the camera sees. Gossiaux will give a lecture explaining how the BrainPort works and how she uses it in her art practice. Following the lecture, Gossiaux will conduct a collective drawing activity.

http://www.radiolab.org/story/110206-finding-emilie/

Emilie Gossiaux is a Brooklyn based artist. After losing her vision in 2010, she continued making art and recently graduated from the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. Working predominantly in ceramics, plaster, and performance, Gossiaux’s sculptures demonstrate a profound sensitivity toward materials and texture. She takes inspiration for her art from visual and tactile memory, her dreams, and social interactions.