When it comes to Shibui Found Image Art, Shibui creates its own illusions. What are illusions? According to the web; illusions is a perception, that changes over time. It is a term that refers to a specific sensory distortion___a distortion in the absence of stimulus, and illusion describes a misinterpretation of a true sensation. Defined it is something false and not factual, it tricks the human brain into thinking it is unreal or real. It misleads the perception of readers, viewers and deceives their senses.
A foundation is interpreted information that comes from the mind of its creator.
Most illusions are understood as “a calculated denial of dominance”. Moreover, “illusions present two sets of conflicting or contradictory signals in the mind. These signals are typically of equal strength and compete for the viewer’s attention; neither is dominant. The logic of the visual process is temporarily disrupted and the eye becomes overstimulated. It questions what it sees. Which thing is it? As a result, we may see, or think we see, a variety of optical illusions such as vibrations, afterimages, ghost images, flashes, glow, or shimmers. However, such illusions are short-lived, for the eye quickly fatigues under the degree of stress and strain. Our cognitive skills are similarly distressed. We may become confused because, without the help of dominance, it is difficult to distinguish between field and event. The usual rationale hierarchy becomes defunct; we are faced with an irrational, reversible field event relationship.“
“Most illusions are based on a calculated denial of dominance. Like paradoxes, they present two sets of conflicting or contradictory signals. These signals are typically of equal strength and compete for the viewer’s attention; neither is dominant. The logic of the visual process is temporarily disrupted and the eye becomes overstimulated. As a result, we may see, or think we see, a variety of optical illusions such as vibrations, afterimages, ghost images, flashes, glow, or shimmers. However, such illusions are short-lived, for the eye quickly fatigues under the degree of stress and strain. Our cognitive skills are similarly distressed. We may become confused because, without the help of dominance, it is difficult to distinguish between field and event. The usual rationale hierarchy becomes defunct; we are faced with an irrational, reversible field event relationship.”
Think of a boat mirrored in the water around it. The reflection of the boat creates an illusion, giving the boat a new appearance. Yet this is not the real shape of the boat. Next, think of the black and white profile image vase. This vase looks like two people looking at each other or it flips to look like a vase. Illusions such as this are fun to look at. However, this is one kind of illusion. Think of images that look like two different things. Illusions such as these work because they flip back and forth from one thing to another as the eye, and the mind works to solve the puzzle it takes in.
Even when we paint landscapes we paint through the use of illusion, if you have ever tried to paint the forest with just the greens from the tubes of oil paints you have as the palette you quickly learn the trees, the grass in your landscape fail to work well. There is not enough difference. The green becomes too dominant. And dominance does not have a very large role to play when it comes to illusion. Remember, Illusion is based on a calculated denial of dominance. For the greens to work well, other colors such as purple and blue help tremendously. Yet these non-green colors create the right kind of illusion for the sake of realism.
A lot of research has been done about sensory perceptions, and how we understand them. We understand through our senses.
“Illusions are meaningful and instructive”, they are “doubly valuable for reminding us about the elusive nature of perception. The eye sees, but the brain makes sense of it. Under normal conditions, it is an effortless and automatic process like breathing.” Illusions work, the brains figures out what it is seeing; flip-flopping between the two answers. it has determined.”
So, what is really happening when we see illusions? “Illusions deny rational relationships by preventing us from seeing both fields and events at once. Our minds flip-flop. Field-event relationships are designed to guarantee that we do not see them both at once.” Depth perception is another component of illusion. We build upon the illusion of distance. What is further away is smaller, what is closer is larger. That is further away something is, it appears darker, more condensed, a mass. As the eye defines as becoming closer to us, the view becomes a range from that darkest color into a chromatic scale that ranges from dark to mid-range colors to the lightest range of colors. This happens due to the illusion of a light source. the immediate foreground is something we either treat as being light or dark such as if we create the illusion of being among trees or shrubs.
When it comes to Shibui and illusion, a lot depends on the found image, and to what lengths you take the illusion. For example, the space behind or around the events in the image may need a realistic background where grass, distance trees, or other things exists. Or if it is underwater, the illusion of aquatic life. However, some Shibui events, and supportive smaller events; “sit” in another kind of field, as if they hold a presence in space, in time. They exist in a world of their own, perhaps not unlike the story of “Horton Hears A Who!” Shibui creates its own brand of characters.
This information comes from Phil Paratore’s book Art and Design and myself. A book that explains, field and event theory very well. I teach from this book at Anisette Studios and find it very useful in discussions about Shibui Found Image Art.
Anisette Studios & Shibui Fine Arts 