Moore, S., 2014.

Using animation to document neuro-psychological brain states

Bill Nichols' nice distinction between the world (which documentary purports to represent) as opposed to a world (which is the realm of fiction) only works if we all agree on what the world looks like. Dennet's 'first-person-plural presumption' (1991: 67) reminds us that we do not agree and some people disagree very profoundly, since their brains are wired to experience the world differently to the assumed norm.
VS Ramachandran describes how defining the line between imagining and seeing is one of the most elusive differentiations to make in neurology (2011: 86).Because this line is such a comfortable one for animation to inhabit it is overwhelmingly associated with the unreal and fantastic, the childlike and the comedic. Yet there are perspectives of the world which can only be described in terms of the unreal (despite their documented existence) because they are so far removed from our accepted perception of reality. Animation is uniquely placed to document 'the world in here' (Honess Roe, 2013:106) of specific neuro-psychological brain states that evade photographic reproduction. By working in collaboration with the interviewees to verifiably visualise their perspective, animation can be used as a tool to document brain states, such as prosopagnosia, phantom limb syndrome and synaesthesia. This paper discusses these issues and looks at how this may be helpful and relevant to film makers and scientists.