Listening to the sound of your favorite tune, tasting the strong flavour of your first espresso of the day, feeling the warmth of a summers day. There is something it is like to have all these experiences, something it is like to be conscious. In fact anything that we are aware of at a given moment forms part of our consciousness, making conscious experience paradoxically one of the most intimate and yet most mysterious aspects of our lives.

How do conscious experience, subjectivity and free will arise from the brain and the body? Even in the late 20th century, consciousness was considered by many to be beyond the reach of science. Now, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying consciousness is recognized as a key objective for 21st century science. Powerful new combinations of functional brain imaging, computational modelling and basic neurobiology bring real hope that human ingenuity can resolve this central mystery of life.

Consciousness science is still a young science, though it addresses an age-old question: What is the biological basis of experience?

State of Mind will explore some of the central mysteries of conscious experience through a fantastic showcase of new technologies and displays, developed by members of the Sackler Centre and colleagues from around the country, which exploit and explore the many aspects of consciousness, perception, and human experience.