Environment and People Perceptions: The Experience of NEVArt, Neuroestethics of the Art Vision

Dues to the CIAS experience on large clinical surveys, the collection of a large amount of data it’s extremely useful to consolidate the information collected through different sensory channels and diverse tools, being able to really verify the potential of the tools in relation to a specific purpose. Using this method will be possible to create a stable framework of information within study reactions to similar stimuli by people with specific disabilities. Otherwise, the risk of lack of reliability of the basic data, may confuse the perceptions based on experience and knowledge of people (which is expected to have common variations among all participants) with those arising from cognitive or sensory deficits. The analysis of sensory perceptions as the “aesthetic pleasure”, are well suited to identify a set of primordial elements that can be stimulated even in subjects with different abilities. The research knowledge both in term of technical skills and upgrade in neuroscientific awareness, will be fundamental to proceed with a set of new research topics (many of them solicited by companies and associations). These expected improvement (partly implemented in parallel with the second stage of NEVArt) include the sense of smell (i.e. product and environmental odours), the didactic field (improving the teaching methodology in relation to the vision, perception and use of artistic works), medical purposes, in particular improving some past research of the CIAS about the Parkinson's disease and some new studies about the communication with people with specific cognitive diseases, as Autism, in order to relate their emotional/physiological/cognitive response to different external stresses (starting from basic stimuli as colour, forms, lights, smell, etc.). The exhibit field, to provide suggestions on how to achieve the best way to display art works, enhancing the elements with the greatest impact on visitors. The environmental field, improving new methods to measure the subjective response of users to environmental sensations (light, heat, cold, etc.) in order to combine the analysis of objective standards and on the field perceptions. In the safety area, studying the impact of sensory data to verify the users' perceptions in emergency situations and how to take into account people perception in emergency preparedness, especially with reference to wayfinding and to use of signs, lights and colours.