Immersive science and music event offers the chance to listen to brain waves

• What: Hearing the Invisible
• When: Thursday, Feb. 13, 6-8 p.m. (music at 7 p.m.), Friday, Feb. 14, 4-8 p.m. (music at 7 p.m.), Saturday, Feb. 15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (music at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.)  
• Where: Tornabene Theater, 1025 N. Olive Road, Tucson

Have you ever thought about what your brain might sound like? “Hearing the Invisible” is a free exhibition at the University of Arizona that examines the diagnostic power of audio generated from electroencephalograms, or EEGs, of brain activity from healthy individuals and those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The innovative science and art collaboration is a joint effort of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction and the U of A College of Fine Arts’ School of Music. Tally M. Largent-Milnes, PhD, an assistant professor in the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Pharmacology, and associate professor Cynthia Stokes, MFA, of the School of Music are investigating how turning brain waves into music might be able to help screen for invisible diseases and conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease or chronic pain.

The event features a walkable audiovisual installation, multimedia pieces of art and educational information about the brain. Attendees of all ages will be able to: 

• Explore a 25-foot-tall representation of the human brain to see live readings of EEG data.
• Use an augmented reality app to explore the brain’s structures and functions while listening to audio readings.
• Enjoy a brief presentation of an original musical composition based on real EEG data created by a student composer and performed by School of Music student musicians.
• Watch a short documentary about the creation of Hearing the Invisible.
• View submissions of research, posters and artwork.

Hearing the Invisible is free and open to the public. Tickets and reservations are not required but are encouraged for performance times to guarantee seats for larger groups or accommodate special needs. Reservations can be made online at https://forms.gle/4YEp9AeDuCky9Yxd9.

Hearing the Invisible was funded in part by a grant from the Confluence Center for Creative Inquiry.