Neural Storm (G43.19)

Copper wire, LED Neon, extension chords, fishing line

This installation envisions the complex, detailed inner workings of our neural networks, highlighting not only the pathways of communication that produce thoughts and sensations but also the breakdown in communication that produces pain, dysfunction, and disability. Neural Storm originated from my experience of migraines- the agonizing pain, confusion, and disarray that happens in my brain while I have one, but has transformed into a method of migraine awareness and neurodivergent activism. G43.719 is the diagnostic code that doctors use when putting a chronic migraine diagnosis in someone’s chart. It took me 5 years of daily migraines to have any doctor diagnose me and unfortunately this is the reality for many others. So much is unknown about migraines and funding is not being poured into research as much as other diseases because women are three times more likely to experience migraines chronically than men. This installation and activist art piece utilizes copper because of it’s conductivity which makes it the material to reimagine the electrical impulses that bolt through our brains. Step into your own mental innerworkings and reflect on and celebrate the moments of connection.