Have you ever thought about what your brain might sound like? Maybe, if you could listen the right way, you could hear the invisible. A joint effort of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction and the U of A College of Fine Arts School of Music is investigating how turning brain waves into music might be able to help screen for invisible diseases and conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease or chronic pain.

"Hearing the Invisible" is a free exhibition of the beginning stages of the work of Tally M. Largent-Milnes, PhD, an assistant professor in the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson Department of Pharmacology, and professor Cynthia Stokes, MFA, of the School of Music. It is an innovative science and art collaboration that examines the diagnostic power of audio generated from electroencephalograms, or EEGs, of brain activity from healthy individuals and those with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. 

The science behind "Hearing the Invisible" spans academic fields from musicology to neuroscience and pharmacology. The event features a walkable audiovisual installation, multimedia pieces of art, and educational information about the brain. 

Attendees of all ages will be able to: 

• watch a short documentary about the creation of "Hearing the Invisible."

• view submissions of research, posters and artwork.

• explore a 25-foot-tall representation of the human brain to see live readings of EEG data.

• use an augmented reality app to explore the brain’s structures and functions while listening to audio readings.

• enjoy a brief presentation of an original musical composition based on real EEG data created by a student composer and performed by U of A School of Music student musicians. Performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, and Friday, February 14, and at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 15.

"Hearing the Invisible" is free and open to the public. Tickets and reservations are not required, but are encouraged for performance times to guarantee seats for larger groups or accommodate special needs. Reservations can be made online at https://forms.gle/4YEp9AeDuCky9Yxd9.

"Hearing the Invisible" was funded in part by a grant from the Confluence Center for Creative Inquiry. Special thanks to Kim Patton, associate dean for research and head of the Research Leadership Insitute, and Ellen McMahon at the U of A College of Fine Arts.