Perceptual Diversity: Art & Neuroscience in Design
Summary
How can we design for a world where no two people experience reality the same way? This panel explores the science and power of perceptual diversity, how differences in how we sense, process and interpret shape identity, connection, and emotion. With expert voices from neuroscience, immersive design, and the arts and through the new lens of neuroaesthetics: we’ll explore how expanding perception can create more inclusive, empathetic, and visionary futures across art, health, and technology.
- Format: Panel
- Category: Panel
- Event Type: panel
- Presented By: n/a
Contributors
- Nell Whitley
- Katherine Templar Lewis
- Jennifer Crook
- Anil Seth
Raw Event JSON
Large nested arrays are compacted for page readability. Full payload remains in dataset files.
Open JSON payload
{
"id": "PP1162583",
"track": "Design",
"focus_area": null,
"category": "Panel",
"event_id": "PP1162583",
"event_type": "panel",
"format": "Panel",
"genre": null,
"subgenre": null,
"name": "Perceptual Diversity: Art & Neuroscience in Design",
"presented_by": null,
"publish_at": "2025-11-03T16:30:00.000-06:00",
"reservable": true,
"reservable_id": "PP1162583",
"reserved": false,
"date": "2026-03-16",
"end_time": "2026-03-16T17:00:00.000-05:00",
"start_time": "2026-03-16T16:00:00.000-05:00",
"message": null,
"image": {
"alt_text": "Perceptual Diversity: Art & Neuroscience in Design",
"credit": "Creative Commons ",
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/vVFPJQaPL7icWUTUe4ENAHhIRRc=/950x633/images.sxsw.com/187/e4459bd3-c962-a064-0788-38ecaf1fc228/pp1162583"
},
"credentials": [
{
"name": "Platinum Badge",
"type": "platinum"
},
{
"name": "Innovation Badge",
"type": "innovation"
}
],
"contributors": [
{
"id": 102555,
"company": "Marshmallow Laser Feast",
"credential_types": [
"innovation"
],
"entity_id": 2270131,
"name": "Nell Whitley",
"speaker_types": [
"Speaker"
],
"title": "Partner / Managing Director",
"image": {
"alt_text": "Nell Whitely",
"credit": null,
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/IWhVaCHSloFXsIYwkQ55WzsZC2g=/0x59:3022x3081/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/7c9a6291-6d42-4121-83d5-4173c04a1746/pcid-1653583"
},
"speaker_type": "Speaker",
"details": "Eleanor (Nell) Whitley has a reputation for driving forward ambitious work in a variety of forms – live events, art installations & digital media – her collaborations with Marshmallow Laser Feast (where she is partner and Executive Producer) demonstrate a unique vision for the future of creative experiences. She has produced the critically acclaimed In the Eyes of the Animal (Sundance New Frontier 2016, Wired Award for Innovation in Experience Design) and other mixed reality works including A Colossal Wave (SXSW 2018) Treehugger (Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Award 2017 & Best VR Film at Arles Festival) and We Live in an Ocean of Air which premiered at the Saatchi Gallery London (2018-9). Nell is also on the board of governors at the BFI.",
"links": {},
"type": "person"
},
{
"id": 78140,
"company": "Kinda Studios",
"credential_types": [
"innovation"
],
"entity_id": 2239107,
"name": "Katherine Templar Lewis",
"speaker_types": [
"Speaker"
],
"title": "Co-founder & Director",
"image": {
"alt_text": "Katherine Templar Lewis",
"credit": null,
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/pwiCVlQWNRFcFTgriNu_e3XOVZE=/0x500:2000x2500/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/7417e99d-529a-4fe8-8a75-555e7afa6a9c/pcid-1623090"
},
"speaker_type": "Speaker",
"details": "Neuroaesthetics, Neuroscience, Immersive Design, Interdisciplinary Collaborations ",
"links": {},
"type": "person"
},
{
"id": 78139,
"company": "Collective Act",
"credential_types": [
"innovation"
],
"entity_id": 2239106,
"name": "Jennifer Crook",
"speaker_types": [
"Speaker"
],
"title": "Artistic Director & Chief Executive",
"image": {
"alt_text": "Jennifer Crook",
"credit": null,
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/qZZwNs8R0QVgMiwigpNH2T6EHto=/428x0:1964x1536/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/676e2973-56fd-4dba-b6ab-eedf720d2e23/pcid-1129937"
},
"speaker_type": "Speaker",
"details": "Director of Collective Act, Jen conceived and produced Dreamachine, leading its vision, direction, and delivery. The award-winning immersive experience brought together world-class artists, composers, technologists, and neuroscientists to explore perception and spark connection. With over 20 years’ experience, she has led critically acclaimed public projects across festivals and cities worldwide, creating bold, participatory commissions in unusual places with artists including Olafur Eliasson, Danny Boyle, Christo, Jeremy Deller, and Steve McQueen.",
"links": {},
"type": "person"
},
{
"id": 44132,
"company": "University Of Sussex",
"credential_types": [
"innovation"
],
"entity_id": 2194110,
"name": "Anil Seth",
"speaker_types": [
"Speaker"
],
"title": "Professor of Cognitive & Computational Neuroscience",
"image": {
"alt_text": "Anil Seth",
"credit": null,
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/Rc8h4x5MrGBIMze7ddtar4E_zCU=/381x0:4701x4320/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/a4c67c41-b588-4dd7-9ed6-e89f3ed2adb5/pcid-1259258"
},
"speaker_type": "Speaker",
"details": "Anil is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience and Director of the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex. He is Co-Director of the CIFAR Brain, Mind and Consciousness program and an ERC Advanced Investigator. He founded the journal Neuroscience of Consciousness (OUP) and served as Editor-in-Chief until 2024. Anil has published over 200 papers, is in the top 0.1% of cited researchers globally (Clarivate), and was named a Top 50 Innovator by World Summit AI. He holds degrees from Cambridge and Sussex, and trained with Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman.",
"links": {},
"type": "person"
}
],
"venue": {
"accessible": false,
"age_policy": null,
"floor": null,
"id": "V2049",
"indoor_outdoor": null,
"mixhalo_url": "https://translate.mixhalo.rocks/432?venue_id=432&partner=true",
"name": "Waller Ballroom C",
"parent_id": "V2024",
"parent_venue_name": "Austin Marriott Downtown",
"venue_entry_info": null,
"formats": null,
"location": {
"address": "304 E Cesar Chavez St.",
"lat_lon": [
30.2628298,
-97.74157
],
"city": "Austin",
"postal_code": "78701",
"state": "TX",
"name": "Austin Marriott Downtown"
},
"root": {
"id": "V2024",
"name": "Austin Marriott Downtown",
"mixhalo_url": null
},
"events": "[omitted 5 venue events]"
},
"description": "How can we design for a world where no two people experience reality the same way? This panel explores the science and power of perceptual diversity, how differences in how we sense, process and interpret shape identity, connection, and emotion. With expert voices from neuroscience, immersive design, and the arts and through the new lens of neuroaesthetics: we’ll explore how expanding perception can create more inclusive, empathetic, and visionary futures across art, health, and technology.",
"experience_level": "Beginner",
"audio_url": null,
"accessibility": [
"American Sign Language",
"Closed captioned"
],
"accessible_venue": false,
"add_bcl_url": false,
"add_slido": false,
"after_midnight": null,
"age_policy": null,
"american_sign_language": true,
"apple_url": null,
"audio_description": false,
"caption_url": null,
"captioned_qa": false,
"closed_captioned": true,
"cpe_credit": false,
"event_status": "none",
"has_subtitles": false,
"hash_tags": [],
"high_sensory_experience": false,
"live": false,
"long_description": "How can we design for a world where no two people experience reality the same way? This panel explores the science and power of perceptual diversity, how differences in how we sense, process and interpret shape identity, connection, and emotion. With expert voices from neuroscience, immersive design, and the arts and through the new lens of neuroaesthetics: we’ll explore how expanding perception can create more inclusive, empathetic, and visionary futures across art, health, and technology.",
"meeting_url": null,
"meeting_url_live": false,
"mentorly_url": null,
"mobile_audio_url": null,
"open_captioned": false,
"playlist_tag": null,
"rebroadcast": false,
"recommended_ids": [],
"search_conversions": null,
"short_program": false,
"slido_url": null,
"sort": "PERCEPTUAL DIVERSITY: ART & NEUROSCIENCE IN DESIGN",
"source": "Official",
"squad_up_url": null,
"stream_embed": null,
"stream_id": null,
"stream_url": null,
"strobe_warning": false,
"subdiscipline": null,
"summit": null,
"summit_display_name": null,
"tags": [
{
"id": 982,
"name": "Design",
"created_at": "2016-11-09T15:05:12.041-06:00",
"updated_at": "2024-02-10T20:46:02.281-06:00",
"sort": "DESIGN",
"alpha": "D"
},
{
"id": 951,
"name": "Science",
"created_at": "2016-11-04T11:44:17.754-05:00",
"updated_at": "2024-01-25T14:52:52.593-06:00",
"sort": "SCIENCE",
"alpha": "S"
}
],
"talent_attending": null,
"title_only": false,
"track_display_name": "Design",
"trailer_id": null,
"trailer_url": null,
"video_on_demand": null,
"vimeo_id": null,
"vod": false,
"xr_project_type": null,
"youtube_id": null,
"related_events": [],
"related_sales_client": null
}