Perception

In regards to science, one of the concepts I find most interesting is reflection.  Growing up, whenever I would see light reflected on the wall from my glass cup or from a C.D. that was lying around I would wonder why and how that was occurring.  I would enjoy looking at the reflection, especially if it was moving due to some sort of liquid, in which case I could find myself staring.  Sometimes when these moments occurred I would grab other objects to attempt to create more reflections myself, and at times it would work and other times it wouldn’t because of my lack of understanding of the concept.  I’m still intrigued by light reflection to this day, which is why I have created an installation using light and mirrors for my final project.  

Although I find all types of reflection fascinating, I am most interested in more abstract forms of reflection, ones that cause you to ponder a little more as to where exactly it’s coming from.  The light that interacts with the mirrors in my piece causes specular reflection: light coming from a single direction is reflected outward in another single direction. The vector of incidence determines the direction of the reflected ray. In other words, at whichever angle the incoming light hits the surface, the outgoing light will be reflected at the same angle.  Lights that are reflected at such a way can manipulate the way we perceive an object or even an entire space.  The relationship between light and perception is what draws me into the concept of reflection, and has thus been the premise of my final project. I intended to create an experience that can distort the viewer’s perception of what exactly they are looking at.

In my final project, shards of broken mirrors have been strategically placed on a canvas, intentionally staying within the boundaries of the canvas board.  However, the lights that are directed towards the broken mirror pieces are strongly reflected outward against the walls surrounding the room.  Because of this, the piece is able to escape the confinements of the canvas.  The interplay of tangible and intangible forms is present within this work.  However, it becomes more about an experience in perception, rather than the physical object itself. The play of light transforms space and allows the viewer to become aware of the space they’re in as well as the role they play.  It’s something that can be looked at while simultaneously experience.  The unequally fragmented mirrors allow the viewer to directly see themselves within the piece in a dismembered form, similar to the way in which the space is perceived due to the varied sizes and shapes of light that are scattered about the room.  The depth of the piece becomes questionable, as it almost appears to sink into the wall.  In addition, the shadows that extend from the piece add another sense of dimension, further skewing perception of the overall form of sculptural object.