Something out of Nothing or Nothing out of Something?

Where are our brains going when we process visual images and turn them into information? What is the process of "taking apart" an image and how is it related to "building" a concept based on images we see?

The world is such a busy place and visually, we are bombarded by a million impressions every day. What is the role of the artist? Is it to "harness" vision? To "enhance" the quotidian stream?

And as I scientist I wonder, how much is "hidden" in the image stream? How much of it do we intercept? How much goes past us unbidden and unperceived? Just as an artist "paints a picture," doesn't a scientist create a model that challenges, sharpens, and specifies our understanding?

As I move through this period of comparing, melding, and practicing science and art as "one," these questions seem very much worth pondering and pursuing.

Does it all add up to something out of nothing or nothing out of something?