The project grew out of AlanJames Burns’ residencies at the Performance Corporation and Science Gallery in Ireland. Initially presented during the Carlow Arts Festival in Ireland, the work transformed and developed into a solo show at The Earth Vision in London –  just like the technology itself, the artistic pursuit is ever-evolving, never static, which funnily enough coincides with my neurodivergent traits too says, Burns. Through this project, Burns learnt about his neurodivergence, propelling him to unpack not only his own experience but also that of other people.

Working closely with the show curator, Marek Wołyński, Burns plans to take the project further, with possible future reiterations encompassing highly interactive live performances with musicians and larger-scale audiovisual environments. The artwork will be developed further early next year for a 5-venue Irish tour in summer 2023. After gathering feedback from audiences visiting Augmented Body, Altered Mind during Frieze Week, we see that the project truly resonates with diverse individuals and communities. The project has enormous potential to grow, and we are currently exploring a range of directions, including digital art, for example, by embracing the medium of (dynamic) NFTs, as well as highly interactive live performances with musicians and fully immersive exhibitions, where the public co-creates large-scale audiovisual environments in real-time, explains Wołyński. 

Augmented Body, Altered Mind stems from Burns’ long-term inquiry into the ubiquity of different systems and how they structure and condition our world, interactions and understanding of each other. Exploring neurology, behaviour and individual agency, Burns conceived the artwork as a system whose parameters are changed by each audience member interacting with the headset that detects electric signals generated by different brain waves, translating them into unique visuals. Humans have evolved to purposefully have brains wired differently so we can problem-solve situations and not get stuck going in circles reinforced by singular likeminded ways of thinking. Said Burns.

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