Art Np2

"Our aim is to explore and explain how and why we see what we do." - Lotto Lab website. How do we see color, value, shape, and to what purpose? Scientist Beau Lotto, founder of Lotto Lab, shares his research and opinions. This video was from his lecture at TEDGlobal 2009. TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Link Lotto Lab Link TED

The facial expressions of this image will change from different viewing distances. Up close viewing reveals one expression. Further back, the expression changes. What's this all about anyway? "Hybrid images change interpretation as a function of viewing distance. Hybrids combine the low-spatial frequencies of one picture with the high spatial frequencies of another picture producing an image with an interpretation that changes with viewing distance. In this figure, the people may appear sad, up close, but step back a few meters and look at the expressions again." Exploring the complexities of the brain and vision leads to some surprising and remarkable findings. For the visual artist, this information encourages a deeper understanding and appreciation for the complexities and possibilities of perception while reaching across academic disciplines. Link