ASTER+S > ART ^ NEUROSCIENCE

ASTER+S > ART ^ NEUROSCIENCE / University of Seville - Photo: Miguel Mendoza Malpartida

ASTER+S > ART ^ NEUROSCIENCE

Cross-pollinated international campus

University of Seville (ES)

ASTER+S explores the intersections of neuroscience, emotional health, augmented brain, and collective well-being in a world shaped by climate crisis, fragile democracies, and other urgencies.

From brain death to memory, from restless legs to neuroplasticity, and from connectomes to AI, the artworks emerge as SciArt fruits from seeds of scientific knowledge, co-created by transdisciplinary teams involving artists, neuroscientists, technologists, and thinkers working across disciplines.

How can artistic practices, inspired by neuroscience, help us understand and navigate human experience in an era defined by uncertainty, hyper-connectivity, and emotional overload? How do the brain and society respond to systemic stress? Panic is not only a neurophysiological event; it is a global, cultural condition.

ASTER+S invites visitors:
– To explore how neurons behave under different pathologies and circumstances.
– To imagine a new balance between inside and outside looking for Neuro-Harmony.
– To replace mental paralysis with empathy.

Restless legs, cells cry,
Broken sleep, Neuro-Harmony
Health must hold us all.

Neuroscience warns:
Without care, the mind will break
Peace begins within.

Panic, not just pain,
but the echo of a world
crying for repair.

  • Malva Marina

    Miguel Mendoza Malpartida (ES), Olga Albillos Castillo (ES), Triana Sánchez Hevia (ES), Víctor Fernández Calderón (ES)

    The piece reacts to the viewer’s presence like pressure in the brain from excess fluid. As one approaches, movement intensifies and sound sharpens, evoking tension and urgency. Stepping back, the system calms, highlighting the fragile balance between pressure, space, and emotional response.

  • Neural Latency

    Elena Pedroche-Sánchez (ES), Pablo Galindo Serrano (ES), Rosa Blanca Anguita (ES)

    This light-responsive installation explores the boundary between life and death. Triggered by the viewer’s gaze, neural-like fibers activate around a black circle, echoing brain death and organ donation. Soundscapes blend organic and surgical tones, evoking identity, perception, and consciousness.

  • 1Stein

    Jan De Wit (NL), Lisa Derksen-Castillo Lisa (NL), Suzanne Van Dongen (NL), Frouke ten Velden (NL)

    The AI and holographic installation explores the link between intelligence, consciousness, and brain function. It questions the stability of personality and invites visitors to reflect on the origins of identity (whether we are born with it or shaped by experience), and how easily it can be lost.

  • bI/Onics

    Ignacio Mora-Pérez (ES), Luis Santiago Sánchez-Fernández (ES), Rocio García-Robles (ES)

    This aptic brain sculpture with textures inspired by the Neurology of Well-being responds to touch. An accompanying app lets users create two alter-egos: a neuro-avatar based on daily habits and a posthuman-ego exploring identity in relation to Brain-Computer Interfaces, and its ethical dimension.

  • NIDUS

    Ángela Delgado Fernández (ES), Rafa Garrido Vilchez (ES), Cecilia Pineda Calvillo (ES), Esther Rodríguez Pluma (ES), Bruno Rosenbaum Amador (ES)

    This hanging interactive installation mimics brain layers with tissue-inspired textures. Inside, an air pump may suddenly trigger an explosive effect, symbolizing the unpredictable eruption of a cerebral aneurysm, reflecting its hidden tension and sudden manifestation.

Credits

Curator: Dr. Rocio Garcia-Robles I International edition with participants from: Univ. of Seville, Univ. of Arts Linz + JKU + Sigmund Freud Univ. (AT), Tilburg Univ. (NL), Carlos III Univ. of Madrid (ES), and from Chile and Barcelona. I Project name: “ASTER+S: Art-Science-Technology-Engineering Research for + with Society: Transdisciplinary Methodologies and Practices to foster cross-pollination and innovation.” I Project reference: Ref: FCT-23-19716 I Funding call: Fomento de la Cultura Científica y Tecnológica I Funding institutions: The ASTER+S> ART ^ NEUROSCIENCE edition has been funded by: 1- The FECYT (Spanish Foundation of Science and Technology, as part of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) (https://www.fecyt.es/) I 2- Fundación Aparejadores (https://www.fundacionaparejadores.es/) I 3- The COATS (https://coatsevilla.es/) I 4- The University of Seville (https://investigacion.us.es/sisius/sis_proyecto.php?ct=1&cs=&idproy=40700)

Please note: The program for the Ars Electronica Festival 2025 is still in progress.
We are currently preparing all the information for the website and plan to put the full program online in the coming days – stay tuned!