BAASICS.3: The Deep End

May 6, 2013, 7-9pm (doors @ 6:30)

Psychiatric and neurologic conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, autism, bipolar disorder, and dementia have been associated with genius or prophetic insight since antiquity. In the fourth century B.C.E., Aristotle claimed "that all men who have attained excellence in philosophy, in poetry, in art and politics [...] had a melancholic habitus; indeed some suffered even from melancholic disease." Plato wrote of a species of "madness which is a divine gift, and the source of the chiefest blessings granted to men." 2,400 years later, the correlation persists. Is it a misguided romantic notion or does new research suggest it is true? And how does our increasing awareness of biological and psychological diversity complicate assumptions about innate gifts and afflictions?

Dr. Walter Freeman will consider how chaos in the brain may generate novel ideas; photographer Timothy Archibald and his son, Eli, will share their experience collaborating with one another on images that shed light on the autistic experience; artist Leeza Doreian will present a survey of artworks by Creativity Explored artists and speak about the organization's mission; and more. Wade into the deep end with BAASICS co-founders and producers Selene Foster and Christopher Reiger for a provocative, moving, and entertaining evening.

Following the ODC Theater program, a reception will be held immediately next door, at Root Division. Seating is limited. Doors at 6:30.

Hannah Addario-Berry - Solo Cello Performance
Leeza Doreian - Con-Currents: Creativity, Individuality, and Community
Professor Walter J Freeman, MD - Persevere or perseverate? How brain chaos surmounts challenges
Indre Viskontas, PhD - Release from Inhibition: The creative impulse in patients with dementia
Katherine Sherwood - How a Cerebral Hemorrhage Altered My Art
Timothy Archibald - ECHOLILIA : Walking the Path on the Autistic Spectrum
Terrence Ketter, MD - Creativity, Mood, and Temperament in Bipolar Disorder

Presented by BAASICS (Bay Area Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions)