Andreas Larsson

To investigate the possible dichotomy between the neurophysiological bases of perceptual transitions versus sustaining a particular percept over time, an fMRI study was conducted with subjects viewing fragmented pictures. Unlike most other perceptually unstable stimuli, fragmented pictures give rise to only one perceptual transition and a continuous period of sustained perception. Earlier research is inconclusive on the subject of which anatomical regions should be attributed to what temporal aspect of perception, and the aim of the present study was to shed more light on the subject. In this study occipitotemporal and fronto-parietal regions were found to be activated for both aspects. However, regions in the medial-temporal lobe were activated specifically for transitions, whereas medial and dorsolateral prefrontal regions were activated specifically for sustained perception. These results provide further support for the theory that the initial creation of perceptual awareness and upholding perceptual awareness over time are separate processes involving different brain regions

With the artistic research project Lethe, musicians and researchers Andreas Hiroui Larsson [percussion], Johan Jutterström [saxophone], and Anna Lindal [violin], investigated forgetfulness as a method and guiding principle for an artistic process, by using the ancient Greek mythological river Lethe as their point of departure. The Lethe was considered to possess the property of forgetfulness, and the research group met—metaphorically—over the course of three years, at its riverbanks. The name Lethe means concealment, and is related to the Greek word for truth: alētheia (that contains the word lēthē), which literally means un-concealment. As such, forgetfulness may both cause concealment and be part of constructing un-concealment. From their campsite at the riverbank of the Lethe, the research group intended to research forgetfulness in relation to their respective personal artistic practices, within the field of western art and improvised music. They also attempted at constructing coherent theoretical standpoints, to help them, and possibly others, navigate the river’s currents and—in the end—present an example of what their research could lead to artistically and discursively. The Roman poet Virgil wrote in his epic poem Aeneid that it is only after we have had our memory erased by the Lethe that we can become reborn. What are we willing to forget when we meet at the riverbanks of the Lethe, and gaze at the waters that can wash away our previous musical lives?