The Molecular and the Mole, 2016
1080p with sound
6 min

In the basement of a medical dormitory in New Haven lies about 700 brain specimens in formaldehyde filled jars. Each jar contains one of Harvey Cushing’s experiments who was an early pioneer of neurosurgery. His archive was created in 1990. During my year at the Digital Media Center for the Arts,  I inquired about the possibility of visiting this brain archive with an exhibition advisor responsible for the specimens. She generously agreed and so began a conversation about the archive’s past.

At what point does a piece of the body represent a consciousness? Why does the brain represent consciousness to begin with? And where has the recent history of molecular study taken our understanding of cognitive reflexivity. Inspired by the futuristic essay films of Chris Marker and Harun Farocki – The Molecular and the Mole is an film essay narrated by Cecilia Lopez, an experimental composer. She exhibits otoacoustic emission, where the curvature of her ear creates sounds that significantly mixes with everyday perception. I asked her to narrate the film for this reason; to share this inversion of faculties . At certain moments, her voice becomes entangled in this sound as her own sonic inflections add layers to the film's positionality.