Research 10/21-10/28: Light, Mirrors, & Symmetry, Exhibition References, Photographs
Updated: Dec 8, 2020
In my first round of sketches, I fell short in terms of creative expedition design. So this week, I decided I needed more inspirational research. I particularly looked into ones that used technology to transform the museum experience. Below are four interactive exhibition design videos that I felt the most moved by:
Story of the Forest - National Museum of Singapore: This is one of the most mesmerizing exhibitions I've ever saw. Digital art is projected on the walls in real time as visitors get to walk through and experience the forests changing landscape. With the assistance of a smartphone app, visitors can also hold their phones up to an animal to learn more about it. I particularly thought this addition was an interesting way to make the visitor feel even more connected with the environment and could possibly incorporate this idea into my own project.
Yayoi Kusama - Infinity Mirrors: By now, most people know or at least are familiar with the work of Yayoi Kusama. Her signature infinity rooms are noted for their surreal atmosphere. Her work relates to her own experiences with hallucinations, creating spaces that feel distant from reality. Looking into endless mirrors and seeing yourself repeatedly can not only be disorienting, but make oneself almost feel insignificant in a humbling way, like now you are one of hundreds of versions of yourself. This concept relates directly to my thesis and the idea of taking yourself away from your normal body and understanding unseen versions of yourself in your own eyes.
Yasoi Kusama, Narcissus Garden is also an inspiring exhibit that relates to the discussion of the 'self'. It was originally created in 1966 and displayed in the 33rd Venice Biennale, but still displayed in her exhibitions today. Kusama staged 1500 plastic silver globes on the ground and was selling them to people walking buy for two dollars with a sign that stated "your narcissism for sale". Though this is meant to be a critique on the economic system in art production, people now are drawn to the image value of this exhibition. Today, people take photos of their reflections in the globes which ironically amplifies the notion of narcissism originally being communicated.
Soo Sunny Park - Unwoven Light: Soo Sunny Park is a trans-media artist working with sculpture, drawing, and installations and explores the space between the mediums. She uses materials like fencing, plastic, and glass, combined with light to create her hybrid sculpture work. I found her work interesting because she tackles a unique approach at filling the room with her artwork. Her fascination with light as not just a way of seeing, but a material in her art is very moving. Especially when trying to understand how we see ourselves, lighting is an overlooked factor in our judgement of ourselves.
Scenocosme - Distances: Two people in separate physical spaces interact through virtual contact. They are each filmed in real time on separate devices and come face-to-face with each other through digital projection. The designer created unique, ephemeral meetings between two people without having real physical contact. I found this concept of digital communication interesting, and wonder what it would like if you could interact with your own projection in an exhibit.
Week of Photographs:
My original project idea was to create a photo journal based on photographs that I take of myself daily. I would take note of my emotions and feelings toward my reflection that day, and photographs areas of my face I payed most attention to. Though I shifted directions from this topic, I still thought it would be a useful experiment to try to analyze my own habits and feelings towards my appearance. Each morning for a week straight, I took photos of myself when I first looked in the mirror and any other time that seemed significant.
Some reactions were positive and some were negative. Due to Covid-19 and remote schooling/interning, I rarely felt the need to wear makeup, though some times I still did. I found that I wear make-up mostly to switch up my look and encourage productivity. Looking awake and cheerful by adding mascara and a bit of blush encourages me to tackle more tasks. 'm hardly ever am one to wear a ton of makeup, I barely even wear foundation anymore. I find I look most like myself when I have long lashes and rosy cheeks. I like an effortless look even that requires a bit of effort.
I don't necessarily feel like my no-make-up face is not me, but it does feel like a different version of me. When I look at my no-make-up face, I relate it more to every version of myself I've every been. For instance, I see the younger, more awkward version of myself from middle-high school when I notice my breakouts or un-styled hair. I also notice how much I look like my brother and that's a weird feeling. Occasionally, I will like my natural f ace more than my makeup face when it's clear and extra hydrated. I learned to appreciate my natural skin over the years and enjoy putting extra energy into taking care of it. I've come to accept my appearance even if I still have beauty rituals.
After this week of photographs, I learned I like my side profiles, am overly conscious about my mouth area, I rarely think about my nose, I am fascinated by brown eyes in the sunlight, and my eyebrows don't match in shape yet I don't bother to change that. I'm not the biggest fan of my breakouts yet do not go out of my way to cover them. I noticed I have more freckles than I thought, yet still wished I had more. If I could, I would look everyday like I've been out in the sun with tinted cheeks, naturally clear skin, and wavy, effortless hair. I feel like that look matches my energy. I also do minor things to make me seem more feminine like adding earrings and mascara because that's when I feel most confident. My relationship with my mirror is complex; not everyday I love what I see. When I zoomed in closer on my features, I found it fascinating how many little details make up one small portion of my face. It made me appreciate them more when I saw them come together as a unit. I actually feel better knowing I do not have to look at the tiny pores or hairs everyday because what's more important is the shape they form. Thankfully, I can't see clearly far away so if I really want to avoid overanalyzing my appearance, I'll just take them off and ignore it.
I found as I was sketching, I did not have a thorough understanding of the relationship of light and our perception of ourselves, which would be a crucial element in my exhibition. Light colors, positions, and intensities can all change how we view ourselves. Because household mirrors are a flat, polished surface, they reflect light regularly, allowing us to easily see our reflection. The only difference in image is that it is laterally inverted, meaning it is the same image up and down, but left and right are flipped. Combining this with light perception, we have physical elements altering our viewpoint of ourselves.
In order to gain various perspectives of ourselves, I believe it would be useful to manipulate light as part of my exhibition. For example, natural lighting can be replicated with warmer colors. A warmer tone typically creates a more vibrant atmosphere, where as cool tones feel angsty. The way light hits one's face can also either seem dramatic if it was from a top/bottom angle and creating high contrast shadows. Alternatively, soft light with slightly higher angles can be flattering for facial features. This is why photographers in particular like to shoot during Golden Hour, when the sun is setting and not as harsh. Light that bounces off a surface and onto the subject (i.e. off mirrors) can downplay any harsh direct light.
Bittner, J. L., & Gold, J. M. (2017). The Impact of Symmetry on the Efficiency of Human Face Perception. Perception, 46(7), 830–859. https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006616684230
Zaidel, D. W., & Hessamian, M. (2010). Asymmetry and Symmetry in the Beauty of Human Faces. Symmetry (20738994), 2(1), 136–149. https://doi-org.ezproxy.montclair.edu/10.3390/sym2010136
When we discuss mirrors, we talk a lot about the idea of inverted images which leads to the discussion of symmetry as a beauty aesthetic. Symmetry is defined as being made up of the same parts that are facing each other on an axis. Asymmetry, is the lack of symmetry. In the realm of physics and mathematics, symmetry is looked as near perfection. Even in art, studies have shown that the human visual system finds it easier to process symmetrical images. However, that does not mean asymmetry is not also attractive. Many asymmetrical visual art pieces are equally as pleasing to look at. Phycologists have conducted experiments to test weather symmetry was important in human attractiveness and perception of judgements. Though it is still an ongoing investigation, psychologists believe that their is no correlation between efficiency in processing human faces, as well as in level of attractiveness.
In one study, participants were asked identify and differentiate the symmetrical and asymmetrical faces seen in the oval frames above. In the other study I read, participants were asked to rate the level of attractiveness of a hemi-faces and full faces. In both studies, the symmetrical faces were digitally created by replicating one side of the original face. It was concluded that though the human visual system does process symmetry more efficiently, it had no influence on the perception of faces. Participants showed no significant difference in rating of attractiveness for half faces (both left and right) compared to full faces. This is also important to note when considering perception because in daily lives, we do not always see full face views of people. Its common when we're passing by someone in an isle at the grocery store, or sitting next to someone at a theater for example, we see only part of their faces. Even sunlight can create shadows that block our full viewing of someone's face. This study also shows that it's possible that the full face is not required to form any form of judgement on someone, partial face is sufficient. Knowing that symmetry is not a large concern in facial perception, I'm curious to learn more about the impact inverted images have on our perceptions since no one's faces is truly symmetrical.
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