Faculty of Arts & Science

Digital Futures

Leanna Barwick

Inner Space Mirror Test

Inner Space Mirror Test (2019). The video is a collection of digital media, including approximately 100 MRI scans of my brain that I collected through the course of receiving numerous various brain scans, which I used as keyframes which I put together as an animation in Adobe PRemiere to create a 3D model of my brain. The film also includes images from the space telescope and sound recordings made during the MRI scan. I was intrigued by the concept of the mirror test, a measure of self-awareness often used in childhood development. It was first developed by psychologist Gordon Gallup in 1970, and it involves placing a mark on a child's face and then observing their reaction when they see their reflection in a mirror. If the child touches or tries to remove the mark on their own face, it is taken as evidence that they recognize the reflection as their own and have a sense of self-awarenessI named the film "Inner Self Mirror Test" because it allowed me to see more deeply into myself and gain a new level of self-awareness. I thought it would be interesting to use the film for this class assignment/experiment and see if watching themselves at this point in time raises any new awareness.