Rationale: Why?

Although it is still relatively early on in the project I think that explaining an initial rationale as to why I want to work with light and in particular why I want to exhibit it in the proposed method, will provide a useful insight to onlookers of the work.

Light is irrefutably important, without it we would not be able to see and all human senses would operate in an extremely different way. Light is reflected off everything that we look at, and consequently allows us to see the surrounding objects. The cornea in an eye receives some of the light that is reflected and bends it slightly. This light then passes through the pupil, and the lens, which bends the light further to form an inverted picture on the retina. The retina, which is made up of light-sensitive cells, then sends messages to the brain. The brain converts these signals into an image, so in reality everything we see is a picture that is created by the brain as a result of mixed signals from reflected light.

Although the images that we see appear to be seamless, each blending imperceptibly into the next, they are actually being updated almost continuously by the vision apparatus of the eyes and brain. The seamless quality in the images that is seen is possible because human vision updates images, including the details of motion and color, on a time scale so rapidly that a "break in the action" is almost never perceived. The range of color, the perception of seamless motion, the contrast and the quality, along with the minute details, that most people can perceive make "real-life" images clearer and more detailed than any seen on a television or movie screen. Szaflarski, an expert in sight quotes, “The efficiency and completeness of your eyes and brain is unparalleled in comparison with any piece of apparatus or instrumentation ever invented.” Humans have unknowingly learnt how to perceive things in a certain way, and through highlighting this it is possible to realise that you really are a co-creator of what you’re seeing.

This provides an extremely basic understanding of how we receive light, something that will be given much greater consideration through the remainder of research and development surrounding the project. It is this process of how we receive light that acts as the main stimulus for the project. It is a process that as will be highlighted later within this blog that normally remains unnoticed and is instead a sub-conscious practice that is rarely given consideration.

Since I first began to combine technology with different outputs I have become fascinated with how human senses can be explored and enriched through the use of technologies. Previous works have included the discovery of sight (lack of it) and hearing. However, I have yet to consider how we see, and indeed the effects that light has on our worlds. It has been this idea of sensory exploration combined with a desire to find new methods for interaction with installations that has led me to ‘Seeing is Believing’.

In particular I have become especially interested in methods of interaction that negate the tradition methods of user input, such as a mouse, buttons or a keyboard. This interest has developed into a pursuit for hidden and unidentifiable interactive triggers. Previous projects have highlighted that interaction is greatly enriched when a user does not associate the communicative process with an immediate machine, allowing the technology itself to become part of the art.

It is often desirable for technology to seamlessly fit around our everyday lives, with many people using technology to control certain aspects of life, without associating it with a technological process. For example, when a light is turned on or when watching the television, the technological processes behind the procedure are unnoticed, and the function is simply consumed without any further consideration. This is something that I want to be apparent in this project. I want the technology to be forgotten, allowing for the user to focus on the light and will hopefully add mystery as to how the light is detecting touch.

The above help to highlight why I have decided on ‘Seeing as Believing’ as the premise for my final project. I feel that the use of light will allow me to explore the ideas of interactivity and sensory works even further, something that will hopefully add complexity to my work as whole. The desired effect that I currently envision, depicted in the previous post, will require a great amount of research, testing, development in terms of interaction, projection, light, and how we receive it. I am also aware that I will have to broaden my understanding of new media software that will allow me to control the light and the interaction of the piece. This is both a daunting and exciting prospect, as I will require quite a complex system to produce the desired effect.