BCI Projects
Check out these amazing BCI creations! Read more about the creator and the process behind each piece below.
Artwork by Maria
Maria Chukalovskaya
I am Maria Chukalovskaya. I have a couple of things that I would like to share. First, I would like to thank Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Bloorview Research Institute for finding ways to help kids who can't paint on their own be creative using technology that enables them to do so. It's amazing.
Second, I would like to share my story. I started using non-invasive brain computer interfaces (BCIs) at the age of 15 for gaming. It was good practice for me. When I first heard about painting with a BCI, I was very excited. I created my first painting, titled "Unusual Snowflakes," to express my joy and happiness at being able to paint on my own. I love that with a BCI I can do it without hand-over-hand help. I used the painting for my visual arts culminating assignment, and I got 100%, YES! Painting is a great way for kids to get creative and express themselves. If, for some reason, they can't do it in the usual way, thanks to the Holland Bloorview team, there are other ways. BCI is one of those ways. This is important, so thank you to the Holland Bloorview team!
Note: The images in the slideshow contain embedded text. To support compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), equivalent descriptions and text content are provided in the accordion sections below.
Author: Maria Chukalovskaya
Year: 2023
Media: Acrylic paint on canvas with some glitter paint
Technique: Texture blending on canvas with a robotic ball controlled using a BCI
Dimensions: 30.5 cm x 23 cm
Artist Statement
My work Unusual Snowflakes was created with a new technology called brain computer interface (BCI) available through Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Institute's Clinical BCI Program. For more than a year, I participated in a BCI research study through the Bloorview Research Institute's PRISM lab, that aimed to see how the BCI technology could be used for leisure activities such as playing games and controlling the environment for just having fun. This is very important for people who, like me, are limited in their abilities to use their hands and who cannot communicate even using a technology. In one of the sessions, I decided to try using the technology for painting and created this painting for my Grade 11 Visual Arts culminating assignment. I used a small robotic ball that was connected with the BCI; and this was how my artwork called Unusual Snowflakes was born. I did not plan to do it, it was an unexpected and spontaneous decision, so the selection of colours was also spontaneous and intuitive, and so I chose my favorite colours, blue and light purple with the addition of white as well as of some red glitter acrylic paints. This colour selection created interesting shades and texture. The colour combination helped me to express my emotions of joy, happiness and excitement. The movement pattern of the robotic ball that was moving on the canvas following my emotions created a texture pattern resembling snowflakes and that is why the painting got its name. I was wearing a special hat with sensors that were able to pick up the difference in the electric potential that was created by changes in the level of my emotions. The ball was moving when the emotions were high; it stopped when I was calm. This was how I controlled the robotic ball, but guess what, the ball was moving really fast!
Author: Maria Chukalovskaya
Year: 2023
Media: Acrylic paint on canvas
Technique: Texture blending on canvas with a robotic ball controlled using a BCI
Dimensions: 24 cm x 24 cm
Artist Statement
Places can be so different, beautiful and ugly, interesting and boring, exciting and dull, accessible and hard to reach. Spiral Garden is a place of connection to Mother Nature and wonderful people. It is a place for freedom of expression where I can express myself through the sound of music, through the art of colours, through the art of clay, through drama, but most importantly, through my heart and soul. When I was younger, I used to go to this artistic and magical place every day in the summer. It feels so alive to be there. I love it, even as an adult. This place is in my heart forever.
Author: Maria Chukalovskaya
Year: 2025
Media: Acrylic paint on canvas with some glitter paint
Technique: Texture blending on canvas with a robotic ball controlled using a BCI
Dimensions: 25 x 25 cm.
Artist Statement
I have come to realize that creating art can help us find our way through life's most difficult moments. However, the painting Fox Sleeping in the Spiral Garden is about more than that. It is also a playful and unexpected expression of joy and humour.
Using a BCI, I painted myself as a red fox enjoying the beauty of spring in one of my favorite places, the Spiral Garden at Holland Bloorview. I created this artwork during my recovery from surgery.
While painting, I was half asleep because I wasn't feeling very well that day, and I think that actually was a good thing. A work created in that dreamlike state reflects my subconscious, which I hope makes it feel even more alive, more intriguing, and perhaps a little more amusing. I hope this painting brings joy and a smile to everyone who sees it.
Author: Maria Chukalovskaya
Year: 2025
Media: Acrylic paint on canvas with some glitter paint
Technique: Texture blending on canvas with a robotic ball controlled using a BCI
Dimensions: 24 cm x 24 cm
Artist Statement
Blue is the colour of complete calm—the beauty of the ocean, swimming endlessly to the far side of the horizon. It is the colour that feels most like me, a reflection of my internal nature.
Blue is the perfect colour to meditate in, especially in moments when the body feels unwell and the mind longs for stillness. Using a BCI, I painted with my favourite shades of blue, allowing each colour to become a breath, a wave, a moment of inner peace!
During a difficult moment, this act of creating helped me find my way back to calm and inner stillness. For a little while, the noise softened, and I could simply be.
It helps more than words can say.
Author: Maria Chukalovskaya
Year: 2025
Media: Acrylic yarn and metal wire
Technique: Knitted with i-Cord knitting machine controlled using a BCI
Dimensions: 10 cm X 30 cm
Artist Statement
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a necessary molecule of life that must be appreciated and treasured. When I first heard of using BCIs for knitting, I squealed with excitement. I thought, “WOW, that’s awesome!” and without a doubt, I started knitting the model of the DNA molecule right away. At first, I was thinking to myself, “What am I doing?” I wasn’t sure if it was possible to actually knit a DNA model just using my brain, but it turned out that it was! I was recovering after surgery during that time, and at the same time was completing my Grade 12 Biology course. So, I wanted to do something very special to honour DNA. It turned out that this work helped me a lot. Knitting the model of DNA using a BCI let me overcome pain after surgery and helped me complete my biology course.
Calling all BCI Creators! Submit a photo of your work with a brief description to bci@hollandbloorview.ca, and we will add it to our gallery!
