Your brain on mu? Boxes covered in brain-fold pattern wrapping paper lie around the floor. Red tendrils run from ceiling to wall. Real estate signs stand in corners. People in long white capes move mysteriously around the room. In the center at a typewriter that's an ancient device for writing stories a receptionist in retro clothing will give cryptic answers to innocent questions like "What the heck is going on here?"

Stick around, and a woman with bright red hair in a crisp white lab jacket that's Caron herself will guide you through the incredible, amazing human brain and help you understood mirror neurons.

"It's not just telling them about it, but to give them the experience of what's going on in their brain," Caron said.

"This is truly one of the most complex installations we've ever had," said Bunnell Street Gallery director Asia Freeman.

Caron, 34, arrived in Anchorage last week after driving up from her home in Salt Lake City in a van with an 18-foot trailer. "The trip of a lifetime plus two shows," as she described her journey, she's here to perform "Waves of Mu" at Out North Theatre in Anchorage and in Homer. The show premiered last month at the Firehouse Theatre in Burlington, Vt., in Caron's home state. Through the National Performance Network, Out North and Bunnell got grants to help commission Caron's work and bring it to Alaska.

In her Vermont youth, Caron was a competitive figure skater and former Vermont State Champion who graduated from the National Sports Academy, Lake Placid, N.Y. After high school she turned to aerial ski jumping, which led her to Salt Lake City. Studying on the eight-year plan, Caron got a bachelor of fine arts in modern dance at the University of Utah, where she now teaches film as an associate instructor. Caron also has worked as an actor, stuntwoman and sports model.

The inspiration and name for "Waves of Mu" comes from the electromagnetic oscillations, or mu waves, that reflect mirror neuron activity in the brain. Discovered by neuroscientist Giacomo Rizzolatti, mirror neurons reflect a curious effect in human and monkey brains.

If Eddie plays the drum, certain neurons related to movement fire and give off mu waves in Eddie's brain. Weirder still, if Eddie watches Ringo Starr play the drum, those same drum-thumping neurons fire in Eddie's brain. If Bonzo the chimp sees Ronald Reagan eating peanuts, Bonzo's brain acts like he's eating peanuts, too.

Humans have more highly developed mirror neurons. Rizzolatti theorizes our mirror neurons help us understand not just other human actions, but intentions and emotions. Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran, who Caron worked with to develop "Waves of Mu," suggests mirror neurons provide a biological basis for social intelligence and empathy that is, much of what makes us human.

Like art.

"When I read about mirror neurons, as an artist it was like, 'Oh my God, it's so connected to art,'" Caron said.

"Waves of Mu" can be experienced as an art installation. During the day, visitors can drop by Bunnell and wander around the gallery, viewing it like other art exhibits.

"There's definitely a lot to explore," Caron said. "That's the idea in this installation: it's like this treasure hunt."

During nightly performances, small groups enter the installation and wander around the first room. Caron and other actors lead the group through the show. Like a gallery opening, refreshments will be served.

"It's a brain where we serve drinks and hors d'oeuvres," Caron said.

Caron assumes the role of the white coated scientist.

"It takes on this idea of being my lab. The whole experience is it's this warped research session," she said. "I'm in charge. I'm the senior researcher in this lab. The audience members are friends, colleagues."

The second room is a theater setting, with chairs and a set that extends into the audience. With video, theater and dance, Caron explains neuroscience, but also challenges audience's expectations.

"I get a lot of responses it's on this fine line of 'Is this real and is this performance?'" Caron said. "People don't know what to make of it. I want to keep people on that line."

If this sounds like huge, complex, mind bending stuff, well, that's the human brain. Caron doesn't mind if people don't completely understand "Waves of Mu" at the performance. Even volunteers who have acted in it have had to come back and see the installation again.

"If people tell me they leave and have a lot of thinking to do, that's exactly what I want," she said. "I love that Daffy Duck moment art can give you, where you have the stars going around."

That experience also is what the brain likes. Our brain doesn't like easily understood stuff, Caron said.

"Our brain instinctively chews most on the things we can't solve," she said. "We spend that mental energy on the thing we can't figure out."

Caron said she hopes people try to figure it out.

"If they're willing to reach out, if they're willing to probe, they're rewarded," she said. "I feel like this piece is an endless onion. There are many, many layers."

For more information on Caron, visit zwww.amycaron.com. An article on Ramachandran and his essay on mirror neurons is at the online magazine "Edge" at zwww.edge.org/3rd_culture/ramachandran06/ramachandran06_index.html.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.