Visual Contrast; the importance of mutual inhibition in visual perception.

This aspect of the mechanics of vision is particularly interesting and relevant. Photo receptors in the retina are wired up to accentuate contrast; this happens through a reduction/suppression of electrical activity in receptors exposed to lower levels of light wherever they are situated next to receptors that are exposed to higher light levels. This increases the difference between the two signals. In colour perception, hue and saturation are also processed through a contrast-enhancing mechanism.

'This 'contrast only' form of vision meant that the eye could detect small local variations in light intensity, even though ambient light varies a million fold between sunlight and starlight.'
(P 205)


'Only if we rob and object of all context can the eye be fooled. A full moon at night, lit by a sun we cannot see, and suspended in the non-reflecting vacuum of space appears white -yet moon dust is black.'
(P 231)

'Context is everything. The eye has no interest in absolute levels of illumination, nor colour values. Every colour is perceived in relation to every other, just as every patch of light is perceived in relation to every patch of shade. In the real world this makes colours remarkably stable.'
 (P 236)

'Humans are the descendants of night dwellers, and our excellent night vision is one of the consequences of our spell in the dark'
(P 257)

'If we are surprised to learn that blue and yellow are perceived as mixtures, how much more startling it is to discover that red- most vibrant and unsettling of colours; the colour of danger, blushes, poison, blood, and sexual arousal- is not directly perceived, but constructed whenever yellow cones are excited and blue cones fall silent. Indeed the sensation of red can be generated by removing all bluish wavelengths and enriching the yellowish green part of the spectrum. The fact that red is patently more than a formula is striking evidence that colour is neither an objective property of objects nor of the light they reflect; it is a construct of the mind.'
(P 228)

Hartline 'mutual inhibition'

Lands 'retinex theory'

Mach Band illusion

Gordon Lynn Walls - The Vertebrate eye and its Adaptive Radiation.

All references taken from
The Eye; A Natural History.
Simon Ings
Bloomsbury 1997.

Victoria Rance; Metal structures and body pieces.

Tree of Forgetting 2005 Victoria Rance
Steel and Silicone Bronze

     

                                            

Tent Victoria Rance
Steel and Silicone Bronze 

http://victoriarance.blogspot.com/

Electron Microscope Images of Vertebrate Eyes.

http://www.optics.rochester.edu/workgroups/cml/opt307/spr06/joe/index.htm

Interesting structural and physiological information, and microscopic images of vertebrate eyes in this paper.

Nerve Cells Live Double Lives: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006104051.htm

I was searching for images of sensory cells and found this article. The complexity and sophistication of living organisms is incredible! This image of a mouses retina looks looks like a galaxy, nubula or exploding star. I am continually struck by the endless repetition of form, shape and pattern on both a cellular and cosmic scale, the human mind, human inginuity and the development of technology to record such things.

Cleaver little ganglia!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006104051.htm

Anthony Shaw Collection.

Richard Lauder suggested I look at this during my tutorial session (26/11/09).
It would give me the opportunity to see examples of Gillian Lowndes pieces in the flesh.
http://www.anthonyshawcollection.org/collection.htm

Julie Major; mixed media sculptures.

'Blanch' 2009; plaster polymer, waxed felt.

 60cm x 60cm x 35cm.

Thanks Esmarelda for putting me onto this work; these pieces are fascinating. The way she has combinated metal, ceramic and fabric together is really successful, also the way she balances intense colour with neutral shades and with white. Very organic shapes and structures that suggest all sorts of things! Piercings with emergent elements that could be biological or part of an exotic plant or animal. The contrast between soft, yeilding surfaces and hard, sharp, aggressive forms creates the sort of tention I would like to achieve in my mixed-media pieces. 
It would be interesting to see them made on a larger scale.

http://www.julie-major.com/docs/artworks.html

(Top) 'Cherry Picking' 2009; plaster polymer, waxed felt, glass bead

126cm x 100cm x 24cm.

(Bottom) 'Sweet Spot' 2009; plaster polymer, fabric

42cm x 42cm x 22cm.

'Collar I' 2009 plaster polymer, fabric, gesso 

30cm x 30cm x 12cm. 

Review; Silver Wedding Dress with Bridal Bouquet by Victor & Rolf.

Ideas around this piece are currently feeding into my project proposal. Initially because of the materials and techniques that have been used, and the gender associations that relate to them. I need to research electro-plating and find out if/how I can organise/generate some samples. I think that it could be a way of preserving the detail and distressed qualities of my fabric pieces whilst turning them into metal. watch this space!

Review/Critical Presentation:
Strapless wedding dress and bridal bouquet, silver-plated;
‘Silver’ Autumn/Winter collection 2006/07.

Designed by Victor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren; Dutch fashion designers who have collaborated together as ‘Victor and Rolf’ since 1993. It featured in a retrospective of their work: The House of Viktor and Rolf’ presented at the Barbican Art Gallery in 2008.

‘For Viktor and Rolf, Couture is an artistic medium, a commodity, and a laboratory of ideas.’ (P6; Merrell) Renowned for collections that straddle the boundaries between ‘Art’ and ‘Design’ they critique the fashion industry while working within it, challenging preconceptions of what clothing can be, using materials in suprising and innovative ways and presenting their work through performance and site specific installation.

 Essentially nostalgic, the dress references a period in the 1940’s /50’s when fashion and femininity was being totally redefined following the launch of Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’.
The piece was presented in a number of ways; as a full size garment on a mannequin, in miniature on ‘Caroline,’ a doll within a doll’s house, and through footage of the catwalk show.
 To categorise this piece as a garment at all is questionable! Clearly it can be worn, but the movement of the wearer is restricted, the process of electroplating subverts the function of the garment transforming it into an object. Inspired by the Dutch custom of preserving a baby’s first shoe for posterity by electroplating it in silver, the dress is an exploration of ideas around the preservation of a memory or event through transformation of a perishable artefact into a resistant, durable momento. It has been described as ‘a metaphor for a desire to give permanence to fashion and still its fleeting nature.’ (P178; Merrell 2008) but also has other connotations.

 The wedding dress with it’s associations; a rite of passage into adult life, the fulfilment of romantic aspiration and social norms, is loaded with significance. Other garments within the collection have individual components that are plated with silver; a cuff, a bow, the hem of a skirt, but the wedding dress is totally covered in precious metal! It is therefore possible to interpret this as a commentary on the value given to marriage culturally and/or the extravagance and consumerism that now dominate the marriage industry.

 Presented as installation in the Greek Revival ‘pillar hall’ (Belsay Hall, Northumberland 2007) the dress becomes classical sculpture; elevated goddess like on a plinth, it alludes to antiquity and the representation of idealised beauty. It is both ‘an ode fashion’ (P178 Merrell 2008) and an indication of Viktor and Rolf’s aspirations.
When viewed closely at the Barbican, the intricate edges of its lace skirt imply the delicate qualities of the fabrics used. The preservation of construction detail and form indicate the level of craftsmanship required in realising this piece, a technical triumph! However, metal surfaces strongly lit from above in a darkened space made the dress look vulgar, like a massive silver charm that will inevitably tarnish as time passes. A critique of the ephemeral nature fashion industry or a comment on the state of matrimony? One thing is clear, heralded as the climax to the 2006/07 Autumn/Winter collection the cultural importance of the wedding dress is maintained and reinforced, both as the ultimate aspirational garment and a pinnacle of the creative process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEvp9jkErmo&NR=1&amp:featur=fvwp

Bibliography:
The House of Viktor & Rolf: Merrell; 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEvp9jkErmo&NR=1&feature=fvwp
http://www.showstudio.com/contributor1363 25/19/2009.
Inside the House of Viktor & Rolf – Symposium; Viktor & Rolf in conversation with Penny Martin (Barbican Centre, 13 Sept 2008) http://www.showstudio.com/contributor1363 25/10/2009.

The Golden Age of Couture; Paris and London 1947-57.

Edited by Claire Wilcox. V&A 2007.

Picture sources:

http://www.styleskilling.com/

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPNbGWqo9TUa9PE4lt8x5se7KbbhK7rvFFTbw4a3lqcgTYwzEPxnlveviUMancQcWqJ6P4w1HpRPmEyNBF-eVJPzKilUInO8bF8QLJd_oyRWWoxh0rT3Qzax8ORFOeIMCXDybT5aZ52VC/s400/the-house-of-viktor-rolf7.jpg

Christian Dior ‘New Look’ 1947.

http://choubelle.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/fashion-that-even-hetero-man-fashion-dunces-understand/

http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/wp-content/uploads/LiveInFullColor/JulieHoylen/Ray_Ban/15matter_650.jpg

Dale Chihuly; Sculptural glass

Dale Chihuly has had a big impact on my work; his sculptural glass pieces are like enormous brightly coloured jewels or massive sweeties. 'Persian Ceiling' at the V&A (2000) was a riot of colour and sinuous organic forms, while the Chandelier in the entrance hall of the V&A and some of his larger vessels seem impossible!
Although my own work is stripped of colour at present I am very interested in the way that he creates complex inter-relationships between his pieces by piling them, one inside another, clustering them or placing them in close proximity.
I have explored inter-relationships of form, silhouette and texture in my own work.

I am also interested in the flowing bio-morphic forms that he generates through the manipulation of molten glass; his vessels and sculptures are suggestive of sea creatures and coral. Chihuly exploits these reef-like qualities very successfully, particularly when grouping his pieces together. Lit from above against a dark background his work has vividness and luminosity that is breathtaking.
I covet his work but can't afford it! Maybe one day; in the meantime I console myself with exploring his ideas and applying them to my own work.

Check out his work at the link shown.

www.portlandpress.net/chihvaposb.html