Event 1 Blog

This week, I attended the Pigeon Art Studio event where pigeons were used to create digital art. Through studying the processes of pigeons’ pecks as well as their cognitive functions, it combines both art and science together, a combination of two cultures. Seeing this collaboration between art and science in-person was a perfect example for me to understand real-world applications. As we have learned in the first module, the two cultures of science and art should work together in collaboration in order to help our society advance. Seeing this example in real life where scholars are able to collaborate together inspires me.


Fig. 1: Pigeon creating digital art


As I walked into the studio, I was immediately intrigued by the artwork that pigeons have made as well as how this related to psychology, the field of my study. Looking through the human brain in relation to art, it is a form of expression and interpretation. It is interesting to investigate pigeons’ brains rather than human brains in relation to art. The pigeons peck at the touchscreen to create lines and colors to fill in spaces of the lines, which is their expression of art.


Fig. 2: Slides shown at the art studio


One thing that stood out to me from the event was the definition of what “art” is. The professor challenged a student, asking, “how do you define art?”. Merriam Webster defines art as “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects”. It was interesting for me to think about how technically everything in our world is considered art. Without intention, it could also be considered art that could be interpreted and viewed, even though the Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as a conscious use of skill from humans.


Fig. 3: Display of Pigeon artwork





Works Cited


“Art Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/art. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024. 

Pringle, Zorana. “Your Brain on Art.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 7 Mar. 2023, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creativity-the-art-and-science/202303/your-brain-on-art. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, Apr. 2001, pp. 121–125, doi:10.1162/002409401750184672. 


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