PROJECTS
Social Agnosia
Social agnosia is a term I use for discourse on how our brain has lost normal cognitive ability under our chaos world with all overwhelming, complex, and irrational information and political actions.
background story
They are a group of Chinese massage therapists with visual impairments. For most of them, massage therapy is the only job they can do. They love to smile and enjoy music, but they have never had the chance to engage with visual art.
BLINDER
The brain processes sensory information through transduction, converting stimuli into neural signals for interpretation. This involves seven senses: tactile, movement, smell, taste, visual, hearing, and balance. In the association cortex, sensory data is integrated with past experiences and memories to form a complete perceptual representation.
In this study, two groups of participants—one with normal vision and the other visually impaired—were blindfolded and tasked with hand-building a ceramic sculpture of an ear, nose, and mouth. We recorded and observed their sense of space, emotional expression, attention to detail, and interactions with others. Feedback from all participants indicated a profound impact, leading to the development of new ideas about themselves and each other. This study yielded valuable insights, prompting further exploration and nurturing of empathy.
RESEARCH
What about a mental image? How can we develop the conception of object without seeing?
social agnosia
Fifteen participants were tasked with drawing objects based solely on tactile input. These objects were sculptures from my installation, crafted to resemble old popular plastic commercial molds through casting.
RESEARCH
THEORY
Agnosia is a neurological disorder that impairs a person’s ability to recognize and interpret sensory information.
Social agnosia is a term I coined to describe the loss of normal cognitive ability in our chaotic world, overwhelmed by complex, irrational information and political actions.
Like prosopagnosia, social agnosia can lead to a range of negative effects such as reduced performance, increased stress, and difficulty in decision-making.