BRAINLAND

In this podcast philosopher Walter Veit outlines five elements of conscious experience he believes can be scientifically explored, why and when, in evolutionary terms, those elements first appeared. He explains his concept of 'pathological complexity', which of those five may have appeared first, and the ethical imperatives that underpin animal consciousness research. After talking about slugs, octopuses and corvids we end with a discussion on how his approach may assist in creating machines that are in some sense conscious.Participants:Walter Veit, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Reading, UK. External Member at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy' Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.https://walterveit.com/Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Walter's book, 'A PHILOSOPHY FOR THE SCIENCE OF ANIMAL CONSCIOUSNESS': is here: https://www.routledge.com/A-Philosophy-for-the-Science-of-Animal-Consciousness/Veit/p/book/9781032343617#:~:text=This%20book%20aims%20to%20advance%20a%20true%20Darwinian,integrate%20consciousness%20into%20an%20evolutionary%20view%20of%20life.Opening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcast

In this podcast, Nick Lane talks about his path to research in the rarefied field of evolutionary biochemistry, before describing some of the pioneers of biochemistry and the aesthetic pleasure he takes in their experimental designs. He gives a jargon free account of the Krebs cycle, the central metabolic pathway of life and the basis of his most recent book 'Transformer'. We discuss the origin of mitochondria, the mind boggling number of chemical reactions that takes in them each second and the possibly far reaching consequences of electrical and magnetic fields they generate (a possible source of the EEG!). Nick concludes by talking about his work on the mode of action of anaesthetic agents. Great conversation.Participants:Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry, University College, London. https://nick-lane.net/Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Nick's book,'Transformer': https://nick-lane.net/books/transformer-the-deep-chemistry-of-life-and-deathA diagram of the Krebs (citric acid): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle#/media/File:Citric_acid_cycle_with_aconitate_2.svgOpening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcast

In this podcast we complete the series on memory and cinema with an in-depth look at the way Alzheimer's disease/progressive cognitive impairment has been depicted in the movies this century. Raquel discusses her unusual route to studying and writing about this subject, via the work of a contemporary Spanish poet, then, before focussing on the three very different films listed below, we talk about the way different cultures represent the subject and the marked and predictable gender differences is the cinematic representation of cognitive decline. We explore the way several biopics, including 'Iris' and 'Still Alice' highlight disability, loss and burden, whereas more recent films focus on surprising positives, including deepening love, new creative departures and coping strategies. We also explore the idea of historical memory of traumatic national events and how this has been woven into films, The Eternal Memory being one example.ParticipantsRaquel Medina, Dean of Area Studies & Assistant Dean of Faculty, IES Abroad, Barcelona, Spain. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Raquel-MedinaKen Barrett visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Raquel's book 'Cinematic Representaions of Alzheimer's Disease': https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/978-1-137-53371-5The films discussed:The Father(2021): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10272386/The Eternal Memory (released in 2024 in the UK and available in the UK on BBC iPlayer, in January 2025) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24082488/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1Poetry (2010): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1287878/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1Opening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective

Film historian and science fiction specialist Mark Bould discusses the Lem novel and Tarkovsky film 'Solaris'. After an in depth exploration of the life and work of Lem and Tarkovsy, Mark outlines the plot discusses the unusual way in which Tarkovsky tells the story. We discuss traumatic memory and the links to earlier gothic stories and hauntings. We take a detour into the role of the EEG in the story and the possible origins of that before exploring Tarkovsky's use of sound in the film. We conclude with a brief discussion of the 2002 Soderburgh remake of Solaris, it's place in that director's work and how it contrasts with the original.Participants:Mark Bould, professor of Film and Literature, University of the West of England.Ken Barrett visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Mark's book on Solaris: https://shop.bfi.org.uk/solaris-bfi-film-classics.htmlSolaris the Lem novel: https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/solaris/author/stanislaw-lem/pics/?ref_=ps_ms_363834005&cm_mmc=msn-_-uk_dsa_srp-_-naa-_-naa&msclkid=958c7519f54a1dc330fc12926fc0d005Solaris the Tarkovsky film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069293/Opening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective

The Brainland podcast began by exploring the historical background of our opera "Brainland". At the end of 2023 we filmed a scene from the opera, directed by Chaira D'Anna and choreography by Adrian Look, in collaboration with Morely College and the Old Operating Theatre Museum in London. The film was nominated in the best short film category at the Messina Cinema and Opera Festival in Sicily, in December 2024, and won the Special Jury Prize! Before the awards were announced artistic director, Ninni Panzera, agreed to sit down with Chiara and I and answer some questions about the festival. Chiara translated the answers, with a little help from AI, and co-librettist Andy Platman voiced the English version. Ninni tells us about his background as the long term director of the Taomina Arts Festival in Sicily and how his long history in the history of cinema and more recent interest in opera in cinema, lead him to create this festival. The conversation shifts from the influence of oepratic plots on cionema, especially in the silent era, to 1930s barber's shop calendars via the use of opera to tell products on adverts. He talks about the wide range of content in the festival including several Italian premiers, as well as several early films, including a 1913 silent film of Marriage of Figaro with a live chamber group.Participants:Ninni Panzera, Artistic Director of the Messina Cinema and Opera Festival.Chiara D'Anna, director, actor, teacher and Commedia Dell'Arte specialist.https://www.chiaradanna.com/Ken Barrett, artist and writer, retired neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/The festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6mrH0ezmq0Trailer for the Brainland the movie: https://vimeo.com/1032229461Opening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective

In this wide ranging conversation we discuss the varying roots of contemporary computer language, from medieval Arabic phiosophy and divination machines, via the religious search for a universal language, to punch cards in 19th century industry. We talk about Babbage and Lovelace's work on mathematical and reasoning engines and their link to Turing's universal machine in the 1940s. Dennis describes little studied literary templates in the late 19th century before moving to Propp's 'morphology of folk tales' in the Soviet era and how that impacted aviation safety in later years. We conclude with a discussion of the impossibility of an 'ethical AI', drawing comparison to corporate ethics.Dennis Yi Tenen, Associate Professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, New York. https://dennistenen.com/Ken Barrett visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/The book discussed: 'Literary Theory for Robots'https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393882186Opening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB.

In this podcast philosopher Perry Zurn discusses ‘Curious Minds’, the book he wrote with his twin Danni Bassett. We talk about their unusual upbinging, home schooled in a large family that encouraged curiosity, then negotiating the more restrictive world of academia. They view curiosity as ‘edgework’, an exploration of connections between ‘nodes’ of information. We discuss ‘busybodies’,’ hunters’ and ‘dancers’. three curious behaviours they identified, and research evidence that supports them. The effect of language on curiosity gets a mention (Eg differences between First Nation and modern languages), and how curiosity plays out in non-verbal domains (such a sport and visual art) with a diversion into the role of the hippocampus in remembering both physical and conceptual space (such as between related words). After an appreciation of Virginia Woolf, we touch on possible dangers of curiosity, such as supporting the idea of alternative realities and the fake news that builds them, before talking about curious animals. Participants:Perry Zane is Visiting Associate Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University and Provost Associate Professor of Philosophy at American University https://www.perryzurn.com/projects Ken Barrett visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/The book discussed:https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Minds-Connection-Perry-Zurn/dp/0262047039 Opening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB.

This is part 2 of the conversation with Russell Kilbourn on memory and movies. In part 1 we talked about the way memory is treated in literature and movies but we didn't have time to discuss memory in sci-fi movies so Russ agreed to return. In this podcast we discuss the varying treatment of memory in the genre. Eg: removing memories (Total Recall, Severance and particularly Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind); inserting false memories (Blade Runner); repurposing memories (Strange Days, and particularly Solaris and La Jetee). La Jetée led to an interesting discussion about the strange and interesting Canadian film My Winnipeg. We close by returning to literature, in the science fiction genre.Participants:Russell J Kilbourn is Professor of Literature and Film, Dept of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada. http://rjakilbourn.com/Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Sci fi movies discussed (Russ's 'must sees' in bold):Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) and BR 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017)Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962)Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)Oblivion (Joseph Kosinski, 2013)2046 (Kar-wai Wong, 2004) (lost memories)After Life (Hirokazu Koreeda, 1998)Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011)Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)Upstream Color (Shane Carruth, 2013)Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB.

In this podcast Veronica O'Keane and Ken Barrett share cases and discuss some of the themes explored in Veronica's book 'A Sense of Self'. We explore the various structures in the brain essential for memory to function, talk about the importance of place to memory (we often remember where we where if not when) and recent findings on how our brain does that, the role of the frontal lobes and the hidden area of cortext called the insula, before with interesting detours into nostalgia and memory in the work of Irish writer Samuel Beckett.Veronica O' Keane, Professor of Psychiatry, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin.Ken Barrett, artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Veronica's book 'A Sense of Self: Memory, the brain and who we are': https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324021834Opening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB.