The temporal lobe is the part of the brain that processes sensory input such as hearing and is the place of primary auditory perception. In other words, it is what translates the words we hear into words and gives them meaning. Language is understood in the temporal lobe, and we are able to produce speech (or talk) because this portion of the brain allows us to. A specific area in the temporal lobe, called Wernicke’s Area, is primarily where speech is recognized and words are interpreted. We would not be able to understand a language that is stored in our memory if the temporal lobe were to be damaged, because it would not be processed properly. We would hear fragments of words and have significant amounts of difficulty understanding spoken language. My artwork depicts the chaotic nature of this disorder, called Wernicke’s Aphasia, and how it distorts memory. The head is completely blacked out while swirls of colors and shapes surround the figure. These shapes represent the sounds and words vaguely understood by the brain, and the broken order of the process of memory.
