Stories by Rebecca Jablonsky

Rebecca Jablonsky is a multi-disciplinary artist, musician, writer, and dancer who aims to fuse her personal interest in the arts with her passion for scientific research. Rebecca earned a Master's degree in Psychology from New York University, where she assisted with research projects centered on social cognition and neuroscience and conducted independent international research on culture and media. She has a growing interest in technology and human-computer interaction, and is always looking for new collaborators and inspiration.

Mind & Brain

Designing the Underdog: Instances of Technology and Art as Human Equalizers

While perusing the overwhelmingly crowded yet interesting exhibit "Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects" at New York City's Museum of Modern Art on a recent Friday evening, the merging of technology and art inspired some internal reflection on what was being said about their respective functions in society.Two particularly striking pieces were the documentation of Hiromi Ozaki's "Menstruation Machine" and Hans Hemmert's "Level" - mainly because they were instances of creating technology to equalize discrepancies between human beings rather than embodying the traditional role of technology as human enhancement.The Menstruation Machine invokes the age-old "Put yourself in the other person's shoes…" mentality.Except, for the word "shoes" substitute "bleeding painful panties."It is designed to create abdominal pain in its wearer through electrode stimulation, while dispensing blood for 5 days...

September 26, 2011 — Rebecca Jablonsky

The Sciences

The Gaze of Art and Science: To See Is Not to Know, and Vice Versa

In her compelling and classic book On Photography , Susan Sontag raises the bar on the discussion of the intersection of science and art in drawing a direct relation to philosophical intent and technique: "Some photographers set up as scientists, others as moralists...

August 17, 2011 — Rebecca Jablonsky