Mirror Mirror: Journey Into the Mind

Three towering doorways beckon, each one promises a unique adventure, a journey that will engage your mind and trigger your curiosity. Behind each door lies a different room. All paths will eventually converge in the exhibition, giving you the opportunity to explore all eight rooms, regardless of your initial choice.

Inner workings of the mind: As you stand in front of three doors, your brain rapidly processes sensory information, memories and even emotions, as it guides you in making a selection. While our subjective experience is that of conscious deliberation, neuroscience research reveals that the preparation for decisions begins in our brains several seconds before we become consciously aware of them. 

Your past holds a wealth of feelings that can shape your perception of the present moment. The memories you thought you had forgotten may be triggered by a certain word or smell. Strongly tied to emotion, your memories can transport you back to a time and place deeply embedded in your mind.

This interactive installation invites you to share a memory through Mirror Mirror’s web app. Watch as your memories, and those of others, flow through the scaffolding structures within this space.

Inner workings of the mind: Memory formation in the human brain involves several key steps including acquisition, encoding, consolidation, storage and retrieval.

Taking the form of a window, this installation uses AI to create an endless stream of poems and images. You are invited to share a memory and activate your creativity by using Moment Factory’s web app. By contributing, everyone’s collective responses will enrich this vast network of words and visual landscapes. Look through the window and witness a piece of your past transform into a unique poem inspired by your input from the web app.

Inner workings of the mind: The brain is actively interpreting the visual elements of the text, converting images into letters, letters into words, and words into sentences. As your brain accesses your stored memories of English vocabulary and grammar, as well as your general knowledge of the world that is embedded in these words, the meaning of the text becomes clear. At the same time, were you consciously aware that your brain is doing much more than just reading, no matter how focused you are? Your brain manages all your bodily functions and is constantly monitoring the environment around you without you being fully aware of it.

This installation is inspired by the concept of a brainstorm—a spontaneous group discussion aimed at generating ideas and finding ways of solving problems. In this space, you are invited to pick up a ball and throw it at the screen. Through collaborative efforts with those around you, this collective activity can lead to new and innovative creations, the result of a diversity of human thinking and creativity.

Inner workings of the mind: During social interaction, brain activities of individuals involved in a dialogue tend to align, a process referred to as ‘interbrain synchronisation.’ Studies have found that interbrain synchronisation is enhanced when people engage in cooperative tasks or shared narratives, suggesting that their brains are processing information in a coordinated manner. This alignment allows for improved communication and empathy between the individuals involved.

The forest is a symbol of mystery and exploration. Just like your consciousness, it can seem like an obscure and unexplored space. The forest can also be a place of reflection where you discover yourself.

Wander through a forest of mirrored pillars, lasers and haze without a destination in mind. Allow yourself to become lost, reflect as you look into the mirrors and take a moment to rediscover yourself in the process.

Inner workings of the mind: Your brain plays a key role in your ability to form and maintain a consistent sense of identity both now and when thinking about the future. Every day, you experience new things and as you go along, the countless connections between the nerve cells in your brain are recalibrated to accommodate all these new experiences. Your brain forms a sense of identity based on your past experiences and memories, and your perception and awareness of the world around you, so to some extent your identity is constantly being assessed and revised.

Guided by red, blue and yellow lights, this space offers visitors a moment of contemplation during which to reflect on their moods and emotions. Make your way into the centre of the space. Lay back in a chair, or rest against the wall, as you take time to relax and consider on your emotional state at this exact moment.

Inner workings of the mind: Colours you perceive can even affect your physiological responses, such as respiration, blood pressure, and even body temperature. Colours also have the ability to evoke specific emotional responses. For instance, warm colours like red and orange are often associated with feelings of excitement, while cool colours such as blue and green tend to promote calmness and relaxation.

The human mind is primed to make connections and can generate narrative meaning from all sorts of images or symbols.

This installation serves as a contemporary, technology-enabled oracle, encouraging you to reflect on the present and contemplate the future. This modern oracle takes the form of interactive projections that resemble ‘magic mirrors’, inviting you to strike a pose and then choose from a series of symbols projected onto the mirror in front of you.

Inner workings of the mind: In psychology, ‘narrative theory’ proposes that the brain works primarily by creating stories. These stories are constructed from visual memories that combine to form a mental model of the world, these help us understand complex information and remember it better. Specific brain circuits are involved in creating and understanding stories, and these help in simulating, or re-living experiences, and reinforcing memories which are fundamental in shaping identity and consciousness.

In this room we make the invisible workings of the mind more visible. More than 86 billion neurons are in action each time messages are transmitted through your brain and its these signals that drive of your thoughts, memories and emotions, and maintain the mind-body connection, shaping how you respond to the world around you.

Grey Matter, a term often used to reference the brain itself, plays a unique role in transmitting information and is crucial for processing data, decision-making, and sensory perception, reflecting the complexity and richness of human thought and experience.

This room has been developed by ArtScience Museum in collaboration with scientists from The Society for Neuroscience Singapore Chapter (SfN.SG) – a nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting neuroscience research and education in Singapore. It also debuts an artwork by artist Genevieve Chua, inspired by neurons.