Ellen K. Levy's 'Meme Machines' at Mid-Manhattan Library Explores Neural Networks and Cultural Transmission
At the Mid-Manhattan Library, Ellen K. Levy showcases her exhibition 'Meme Machines,' which delves into the similarities between neural connections and information systems. The mixed-media artist features four painted prints depicting specialized libraries alongside an animation that illustrates them as linked nodes. Drawing inspiration from Charles Seliger and Nobel Prize winners Torsten Wiesel and David Hubel, Levy describes memes as cultural counterparts to genes. Her 2008-09 video work 'Stealing Attention,' created with Michael Goldberg, explored inattentional blindness and alluded to the looting of the Baghdad Museum following the 2003 invasion. For 'Meme Machines,' she partnered with neuroscientist Justine Kupferman and included references to the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago and Steven J. Gould's 1981 book 'The Mismeasure of Man.'
Key facts
- Ellen K. Levy's exhibition 'Meme Machines' is currently showing at the Mid-Manhattan Library
- The exhibition includes four painted prints of specialized libraries and an animation visualizing neural networks
- Levy collaborated with neuroscientist Justine Kupferman on the animation component
- Her previous work 'Stealing Attention' (2008-09) was created with neuroscientist Michael Goldberg of Columbia University
- Levy was influenced by Nobel Prize-winning visual perception research by Torsten Wiesel and David Hubel
- The Mama Haidara library in Timbuktu and the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago are featured in the exhibition
- Levy references Richard Dawkins' concept of memes as cultural equivalents to genes
- The artist studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and worked at Harvard Medical School
Entities
Artists
- Ellen K. Levy
- Charles Seliger
- Caravaggio
- de la Tour
- Leonardo
- Joyce Beckenstein
- Richard Dawkins
Institutions
- Mid-Manhattan Library
- Harvard Medical School
- Columbia University
- Kimbell Art Museum
- Baghdad Museum
- Mama Haidara library
- Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago
- Patent and Trademark Office
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- artcritical
Locations
- Timbuktu
- Mali
- Fort Worth
- Texas
- United States
- Iraq
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- Chicago
- Illinois
- New York
- Niger River