Joshua Michaels (joshjet) is a multi-disciplinary artist & scientist who works with time as a medium. He produces works that manipulate time such that it can be perceived of and reasoned about spatially. These explorations typically involve chronophotography utilizing cameras, computers, artificial intelligence, and software image processing. Josh’s interest in time is rooted in his experience with chronic Migraine, which causes not only distortions in time, but fundamental changes in how one organizes and perceives time.

Wavy Lines #5, Digital print from Artificial Auras, 2022

Project Description

For this residency Josh will be exploring sonification and visualization of pain with a particular focus on Migraine. Josh has suffered from chronic Migraine most of his life, and his quest to cure himself has been a central focus of his work. Having now fully cured himself of the condition, Josh is motivated to help others better understand Migraine, and what they can do both to address it and support those who are suffering.

Pain can be a highly personal and hard to communicate experience. Research in Art Therapy has demonstrated that creating art to visualize the pain someone is experiencing can improve their overall health and wellbeing. Josh believes that understanding and visualizing how Migraine actually works is a key to minimizing its impact. His lecture “Seeing Migraine through Art & Science” provides a framework for thinking about the condition that is easy to understand and can bring a new level of awareness to sufferers.

Migraine System #2, Digital print from Artificial Auras, 2022