When the artist and filmmaker Matthew Lessner had the inspiration to create a film which would respond to real time changes in the human brain, he was unaware that similar technology was being utilized in the medical treatment of various mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder. In this context the practice is called neurofeedback, and two years ago the psychotherapist Magdalena Bluhme started to use this in her therapy with traumatized patients. Even though this is unconventional for a psychotherapist, she felt the need to implement a new tool to enhance her therapy sessions.

For Matthew Lessner, the desire to use the brain to expand the medium of film resulted in HYACINTHE, a film experience which is programmed to measure and react to changes in the brainwaves of a viewer’s frontal lobe. This could be seen as an expansion of the medium of film into a more active experience, while simultaneously encouraging the mind to allow stillness, and resist the desire to chase constant input.

Art is an exploration, neurofeedback has a clear objective. Through the eye of the artist, the technology is transformed into a tool for a metaphysical experience, as well as a consciousness altering journey through some of earth's most beautiful places. In the psychotherapist's clinic, the machine is used for a noninvasive procedure that measures a patient’s brainwaves and provides the patient with real-time feedback about how the brain is functioning. 

We have invited them to educate us about their work, in conversation with Marie Carlén, professor in neuroscience at Karolinska institutet, who will help us understand brainwaves, how the brain works and her research on attention and the prefrontal cortex. 

What happens when you put these people, from different fields, in the same room? What can they learn from each other? What can we learn from them? 

To get the most out of this conversation, please consider first visiting the film experience HYACINTHE at Konstnärshuset. You can book an appointment here: https://konstnarshuset.org/utstallningar/matthew-lessner/