Project 2 Different, Not Less proposal 

10/7/2020

 

Caffeine plays a very important role in my life (and I believe in many people’s lives). I need not less than a cup of coffee everyday. When discussing a condition that impacts perception, I immediately thought of how caffeine could impact one’s perception. How caffeine works and how it impacts our brain? 

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03202924

http://www.mmh.org.tw/nutrition/chao/coffee.htm

https://www.zhihu.com/question/28163760

 

Here are some articles I read from the internet.

 

What is caffeine?

 

Basically, caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound, which is a stimulant for humans. Caffeine is also a central nervous system stimulant that can temporarily drive away sleepiness and restore energy. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks with caffeine ingredients are very popular. Therefore, caffeine is also the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the world. In North America, 90% of adults consume caffeine every day. 

 

What effect does caffeine have on the nervous system?

 

Adenosine binds to its receptor to slow down the activity of nerve cells, generally they combine together during sleep. And the function of caffeine is that it can block adenosine to its receptors. The caffeine molecule and the adenine purine nucleoside analog can bind to the same receptor. However, caffeine does not cause a decrease in cell activity, on the contrary, it prevents adenine from binding to its receptor. The result is increased activity of nerve cells, which secrete the hormone adrenaline.

 

In this project, I plan to use that coffee liquid to paint the images of the brain and narrate the progress of how caffeine molecules make impact on the nervous system. 

(still thinking if it should be abstract of realistic paintings)

..