“It’s a chance for individuals to face proper in entrance of a bodily object and soak up the complexity of the mind and have that sink in emotionally. I believe that’s how individuals be taught probably the most successfully — when their feelings are touched.”
Greg Dunn, PhD (UCB alum, class of 2002)
Greg Dunn
Greg Dunn is an artist with a PhD in Neuroscience, whose work highlights the wonder and complexity of the nervous system. From delicate work of neurons on scrolls to intricate depictions of the exercise of lots of of 1000’s of neurons, Dunn goals to encourage a way of awe and surprise in regards to the mind by way of his artwork. His items have been exhibited internationally to broad acclaim, and grasp in science museums, universities, workplaces, and private collections.
As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, Dunn pursued each science and artwork as a Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) main with a minor in ethnomusicology. A musician since childhood, Dunn switched his inventive focus to visible artwork whereas incomes his PhD in Neuroscience on the College of Pennsylvania, impressed by photos of neurons and mind slices and the similarities he noticed to shapes in Asian artwork. His inventive profession took off when the Society for Neuroscience commissioned him to create a big gold leaf portray for his or her headquarters whereas he was nonetheless a graduate scholar.
Now Dunn works as an artist full-time, however nonetheless collaborates with neuroscientists and follows neuroscience analysis to encourage and inform his work. He says his scientific coaching contributed to his artwork in some ways, together with his capacity to create new strategies comparable to reflective microetching, which he developed together with his collaborator, physicist Brian Edwards. They used this system to generate highly-detailed animations of neural exercise of their Nationwide Science Basis funded piece, Self Mirrored, which is completely displayed within the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Dunn believes that it’s the most complicated inventive visualization of the mind to this point.
Element from “Self Mirrored” by Greg Dunn and Brian Edwards, displaying the cerebellum.
Learn our Q&A with Dunn to be taught extra about his profession mixing artwork and neuroscience; how his cross-disciplinary training at Berkeley influenced his work; and his recommendation for artists and neuroscientists on cultivating creativity and discovering one’s distinctive area of interest. This interview was performed on March 11, 2022 and has been edited for size and readability.
Q: You had been an MCB main at Berkeley — what had been you finding out then? What had been you curious about doing?
A: On the time, I used to be considering molecular biology with the emphasis of genetics. Round that point (perhaps it was a couple of years after I graduated) was when epigenetics began to develop into sizzling. My intro to biology was this fascination with the character versus nurture debate, which is one thing that I don’t assume will ever essentially be solved. However I got here at it from a extra elementary standpoint, biologically.
After I first began faculty at Berkeley, I needed to be a vet. I labored at an area vet there and I studied integrative biology [(IB)] for a pair years. And it was somewhat bit too broad and never sufficient onerous information [for me]. I suppose my questions simply bought increasingly elementary as I went by way of the IB curriculum, and I needed to get extra type of nitty gritty, so I switched in my third 12 months to MCB.
Q: Did you’re taking any neuroscience programs at Berkeley?
A: I didn’t, truly. I believe that molecular biology was most likely extra impressed by my pursuits from my highschool lessons. [But] once I was at Berkeley, I went to the College of Washington for a summer time and did an internship in a neuro lab there, and I did one at Tufts as effectively. I had all the time been within the mind, and I branched off extra intentionally in that path after undergrad.
Q: I noticed that you just labored as a analysis assistant in a neuroscience lab after you graduated.
A: Yeah, largely I used to be with Al LaSpada. He’s now, I consider, at Duke. He research neurodegeneration. I did loads of microscopy in his lab, some molecular biology, some fly work. I [had also] labored in a biochem lab at Berkeley, within the chemistry division truly, with Judith Klinman.
Q: Have been you doing artwork once you had been an undergrad?
A: I truly was finding out music at Berkeley; that was my minor, ethnomusicology. I’d been a musician my entire life and that had all the time been my inventive output, which was all the time simply important to my sanity. It was good to have some type of artistic outlet to distinction the problem and lack of readability, oftentimes, in organic experiments. There’s simply so many variables, it’s onerous to actually drill down on a solution that you just’re 100% satisfied is right. So it was good to go residence on the finish of the day and have the ability to put some effort into one thing and have a tangible object, versus simply mixing one clear liquid with one other clear liquid, and placing it in a machine. It’s simply very existential; molecular bio might be that method.
Q: What made you go on to do a PhD in neuroscience?
A: I’ve all the time been considering loads of various things. And in having a tough time selecting what I needed to do, [I thought that] the mind is actually on the elementary basis of every little thing that we do as people. It’s actually type of the epicenter of what’s fascinating about biology and psychology and philosophy, and most of these various fields that I’m considering. So it made sense to dedicate a profession to neuroscience. I don’t assume you’d ever actually be bored. The mind is, as many have mentioned earlier than me, possible probably the most complicated object within the recognized universe, and there’s loads of stuff to learn about it and examine about it.
“Hippocampus II” by Greg Dunn (2010, 42” x 42”, enamel on composition gold and aluminum). Commissioned by the College of California, San Diego neuroscience division.
Q: You probably did your PhD on the College of Pennsylvania — what was your analysis on?
A: I studied the epigenetics of feeding behaviors; at the very least that’s theoretically what I began doing. I used to be wanting on the epigenetic regulation of feeding circuits within the hypothalamus, and the way pregnant mice consuming a high-fat weight loss program would cross traits onto their offspring, and the way that might cross by way of additional generations. We discovered somewhat little bit of promising information which had me change my focus to the germline. I used to be finding out transmission by way of the male germline in the previous few years of my PhD, so I actually had little or no to do with the mind, truly, from a hardcore analysis standpoint by the top of my doctorate work.
Q: You began doing all your neuroscience artwork throughout grad faculty, proper? What introduced you to do this?
“Synaptic Blooming II” by Greg Dunn (2021, approx. 20″ X 70″, ink and 22K gold on sized xuan paper).
A: Yeah, that’s proper, like the primary 12 months or so. I believe it was most likely impressed equally by my work in Dr. LaSpada’s lab doing loads of microscopy, however then simply taking a look at beautiful footage of neurons and slices of the mind, that form of factor, in graduate faculty on daily basis. It’s simply very inspiring.
I instantly made connections between the world of neurons and the world of pure themes that are extra generally created in Asian artwork, the place you have got these randomly branching buildings which are oftentimes painted on sparse canvases in like a Zen fashion or the classical Japanese, Chinese language, Korean traditions. So I noticed a chance to begin to paint the mind in a method that folks may recognize and probably not know what they had been taking a look at initially, after which make the connection that the microscopic world actually resembles the pure world, and that nature solves complicated issues by way of fractal-like designs. These are a few of the preliminary ideas that I used to be working with and proceed to [work with].
I had switched my inventive focus from music to visible artwork. As a result of as I bought busier — I used to be getting married and issues like [that] — I noticed that if I had been to proceed with a creative apply on the facet, I most likely wanted to make somewhat bit of cash doing it. Music is simply not the way in which to do this, at this level. With the web, recorded music has develop into basically worthless, or at the very least far much less worth than it was once, or most likely needs to be. And I’m not the type of man who’s going to go on worldwide excursions or something like that. I had some graphic design expertise engaged on report covers, issues like that, so I made a decision to provide visible artwork a crack. So I’m comparatively new to it; I haven’t been practising it since I used to be somewhat child or something. However I’ve all the time had some type of inventive apply.
Q: How was that transition for you? You had been coaching to be a scientist, and you then began doing artwork on the facet. When did you notice that this may very well be a profession for you?
A: As I used to be portray within the first few years of grad faculty, I bought a extremely good response to the work, and I turned a lot better recognized for my art work than I did for my analysis. I used to be realizing I used to be first rate within the lab, however I didn’t assume I used to be doing something so breakthrough that others wouldn’t have been in a position to do this type of work. Whereas I noticed the intersection of my pursuits and the way it manifested in my representations of the mind artistically as being a way more personally related mission, and likewise one the place I felt like I may contribute extra to society at giant — to make stunning photos of the mind that the typical non-professional may soak up and select to understand. I believe lots of people are actually intimidated [by the brain], and I noticed having accessible photos as a option to get individuals considering it, significantly children. In order that’s what drew me to it.
Then a turning level in my profession was once I bought a giant fee to do a big gold leaf portray for the foyer of the Society for Neuroscience — their headquarters in Washington. Mainly, they paid me to place an enormous billboard in the midst of one of the best location within the universe. So lots of people began to study it then, and one factor led to a different. I opened up somewhat internet store and began promoting prints. By the point I used to be ending my PhD, my spouse, who can be an artist, satisfied me [by saying,] ‘Why don’t you give this a shot? It looks like it’s going fairly effectively.’
It was undoubtedly a time of excessive anxiousness. Society at giant oftentimes tells individuals, ‘It’s most likely higher to not be an artist. As a substitute of being an artist, perhaps it’s best to get a PhD.’ And I went the other method from that. Not being sure if I might have the ability to do it, not being sure if I’d have the ability to help a household doing it — that type of factor made me somewhat bit nervous.
However I had the chance to be setting this profession up as I used to be in grad faculty, which was actually, very nice. I had my grad faculty profession, I had a gradual earnings, and I had a horizon — I knew when the top of grad faculty was coming, give or take a couple of months. I used to be capable of arrange a bunch of commissions and arrange a plan a 12 months or two forward of time in order that once I completed grad faculty, I might have the ability to hit the bottom operating with some commissions and another work that I had lined up.
I suppose the transition was just like some classes I’d discovered within the lab, which is that it’s all the time a good suggestion to have type of rote, comparatively extra easy, step-by-step varieties of experiments which are producing information at a gradual tempo, along with your extra high-risk, high-payoff kind experiments which are occurring in parallel. That’s how I attempt to do my artwork as effectively. I’ll have issues that I do know are going to be fascinating to me which are themes that folks like, as a result of that’s additionally one thing that’s actually vital. When you’re making a residing as an artist, you must take that type of factor into consideration. After which to have the ability to do my very own sorts of tasks, those that curiosity me somewhat bit extra, and see how they fly with my viewers. That’s been an fascinating journey, and there’s been twists and turns alongside the way in which in that regard.
Q: Are there different ways in which you are feeling your scientific coaching feeds into your artwork?
A: Completely. Realizing how one can compose experiments is extremely vital. Being in a lab actually offers you the power to coach your instincts as to what’s a promising line of inquiry and what’s not. Very similar to within the lab, with artwork, you’ll be able to be taught fairly shortly once you’re creating a brand new approach for instance, what’s going to bear fruit and what isn’t. And oftentimes, it’s the issues that you just don’t observe up on which find yourself being those that provide you with success, simply since you’re not losing your time on a bunch of crap that’s not going to repay or produce something fascinating. That’s actually vital. [Also,] the power to prepare your ideas, to have the ability to provide you with an thought and execute it, and an understanding of chemistry and supplies.
“Myelination” by Greg Dunn (2015, 22″ X 30″, 12K gold, dye, and mica on minimize acrylic panel).
Understanding what supplies you’re utilizing and the way they operate is extremely vital. I developed this system referred to as reflective microetching with my buddy Brian [Edwards], who’s an utilized physicist at Penn. There’s loads of optics, there’s laptop science, there’s physics, and there’s microfabrication-type work, which is all fairly technically demanding. With out the deeper understanding of science that I had gotten in grad faculty and undergrad, I don’t assume I’d have the ability to pull that type of factor off. I believe that it offers me the power to do some varieties of issues that I believe individuals with out that coaching would have a reasonably onerous time doing. So I’m actually grateful for that coaching.
I undoubtedly hold one foot within the lab; I hold my ear to the bottom research-wise. I’m not in a moist lab doing neuroscience analysis or something like that anymore. However once I’m engaged on sure varieties of neuroscience items, I’m actually making an attempt to be very cognizant of what’s lacking within the information — like what are the visualizations that don’t exist on the market that might be actually useful for individuals to have the ability to see.
For instance, I simply spent three months on a bit in regards to the spinal twine that I’m going to be releasing later this 12 months, as a result of I’ve by no means seen very detailed schematics of what the circuitry seems like and what the circulate of knowledge seems like. This system that I discussed, microetching, is a chance to make brief animations of neural exercise by way of gentle reflecting off these microengraved surfaces. It’s a chance for individuals to face proper in entrance of a bodily object and soak up the complexity of the mind and have that sink in emotionally. I believe that’s how individuals be taught probably the most successfully — when their feelings are touched.
Q: Do you collaborate with scientists, with neuroscientists?
A: Yeah. Principally with my collaborator, Brian, who’s extra of an engineer than a neuroscientist. However for some tasks, I undoubtedly do like to talk to neuroscientists who specialise in particular areas. For this big piece [Self Reflected] that he and I did in 2014-16, which is a Nationwide Science Basis funded piece, we consulted with 20-30 neuroscientists on all completely different areas of the mind in order that we may get loads of the main points right. The purpose of that piece was to be probably the most complicated visualization of the mind that had been created, at the very least from a creative standpoint. I’m fairly sure that it nonetheless stands as that to this present day.
So we needed to get it actually correct. We needed children and random people coming into the museum — as a result of it’s hanging within the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia — to have the ability to see it and to have the ability to get one thing primary out of it. If it’s nothing greater than, ‘Wow, the mind is extraordinarily sophisticated’, that’s a win. However we additionally needed professionals to have the ability to take a look at it and never solely see its accuracy, however to have the ability to get a broader perspective. As a result of as scientists, it’s very simple to get caught up in your one tiny little area of interest and neglect the larger image. That’s significantly true in neuroscience, and that’s significantly true for people who find themselves finding out single cell work or molecular composition.
My work type of spans all kinds from extra summary, to extra extremely lifelike and detailed.
