Anna-Luise Lorenz

Despite new theories in neuroscience a common conviction exists that human activity is governed by the structure and functioning of the brain. In transplantation theory the transplantation of a brain of Person A into the body of Person B is understood to result in a new body for Person A, not a new brain for Person B; this turns the brain into the ultimate seat of the Self.

New theories around neuroplasticity, however, suggest the opposite: the brain is not an organ that only works top-to-down, but instead is actively transformed through its environment.

A device invented in the late 2000's, the PoNS™, which is used to heal chronic neurological symptoms of disease or trauma, led to the discovery, that the brain can be entirely rewired via electrical stimulation of the tongue. 

In this short film a disembodied tongue functions as a vessel to transgress between the human and the non-human. Disconnected from the brain and thereby detached from its function as a solely executing tool, the tongue becomes the carrier of a hybrid language of the 'Other' through a process of possession; a language which unveils aspects of a Self that has been hidden from everyday social context.

This animation is accompanied by a short story displayed on LED panels in a light well.