CONCEPT

Pop culture and literature throughout time are filled with references to people choosing between following their heart or what they logically know to be the best course of action. The epistemology that came to the fore during the Enlightenment dictated that rational thought is the best method of coming to know truth, and although we have seen a reaction against this in much of 20th century social theory this cult of rationality still guides the actions of most cultures today, particularly in the West.

After observing the havoc this system has wreaked, I have made it a personal goal to give my emotions more weight when making decisions. But I have found it extremely difficult to accept my emotions as valid justifications; I have been programmed to believe that logic is King.

Dialectic #1 attempts to express this dichotomy between heart and mind, and my attempts to come to terms with it, via words, electronics and musical composition. Logic is represented in the piece via the signal from an EEG (brainwave monitor), while emotion is represented via the output of an EKG (heartbeat monitor).