STITCH YOUR BRAIN

Art / Theory / Neuroscience. Jap Sam Books, 2023. Paperback, full color, 256 pages. 6.7" x 9.4"

From the press: Stitch Your Brain is a long-term study into the intelligence of the hand by artist and former medical doctor Monika Auch. The book reflects the results of the empirical study Auch worked on for the past decade about the importance of creating with your hands in our digital age and the effects of slow creation on neuro cognitive learning, health, and well-being.

The detailed images of a collection of 100+ stitched brains created by participants and their personal comments illustrate the influence of medical image making on body-identity and brain awareness. The creations are in fact a tactile, textile multitude of intimate self-portraits. At the same time, they are a dynamic documentation of changing visions and concerns on global issues throughout the past 10 years.

The data analysis and interpretation by Monika Auch provides insights in the relationship between creativity, stress management, age, well-being, and skill learning. Experts in art history, art, science interactions, and neuroscience who were involved early on in the project comment on the research and place it in a broader context. Contributions by Prof. R. Zwijnenberg, Dr. Marieke Hendriksen, Charlotte Steels (director of the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection), and Mané van Veldhuizen. The texts include topics such as the importance of coexistence of art and science and why they need each other, ethical and esthetical changes of self-perception due to modern brain research, the history of medical imagery of the brain and brain imagery using art and textile design in the past and present, among others.