Neuroscience and Visual Art: The Complex Relationship of Light, Color and the Brain at HMNS

Rothko Chapel

Offsite Program 5/16/19 Neuroscience and Visual Art: The Complex Relationship of Light, Color and the Brain Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) “It is not what you look at that matters. It is what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau Light allows us to experience our world, including art, and different lighting conditions have a profound impact on our overall visual perception. This lecture by neurologist and Rothko Chapel board member, Dr. Aziz Shaibani, illustrated the physical properties of light and the way the brain processes light and color, providing insight into the complex relationship between light, perception, and art. This event was one in a series of offsite programs presented by the Rothko Chapel in partnership with Houston-area organizations while the Chapel is closed for restoration. The Rothko Chapel and grounds are closed to the public, to reopen in early 2020. This temporary closure is the first part of the implementation of the Rothko Chapel Opening Spaces master plan, focused on preserving the Chapel as a unique public art site and spiritual space, serving the growing number of visitors and program participants, and setting the stage for programmatic expansion. About the presenter: Aziz Shaibani, MD, is a practicing neurologist in Houston who also specializes in neuromuscular medicine and neurophysiology. Dr. Shaibani graduated from Mosul University in Iraq in 1983 and completed residency in neurology and fellowship in neuromuscular disorders at Baylor College of Medicine, and currently is the director of Nerve & Muscle Center of Texas and is affiliated with Baylor St Luke's Medical Center. He is a clinical professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He is past president of the Texas Neurological Society and current vice president of the neuromuscular section of the American Academy of Neurology, and the past president of the National Arab American Medical Association, and currently serves as the President of the Arab-American Educational Foundation and is on the Board of the Arab American National Museum and the Rothko Chapel. Dr. Shaibani published a prize winning book "Video Atlas of Neuromuscular Diseases," the second edition was released in 2018 by Oxford University Press. He has published many articles in peer reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine.