#visual cognition

'Ammersee Symposium' in Visual Cognition

Capturing a scientific symposium in a haiku sequence! Remember the #haiku sequence on the Ammersee conference I wrote in 2018? It was included with the conference proceedings in a special edition of Visual Cognition, Vol. 27, issues 5-8, May/September Routledge, 2019 – (scroll to p.2 of the editorial). Why have a volume of papers when you can describe the whole thing in a few haiku? 

Neuroscientists 3D Model ‘Face Identity Information’ Stored in the Brain

In a world first, neuroscientists from the University of Glasgow have been able to construct 3D facial models using the unique information stored in an individual’s brain when recalling the face of a familiar person.

The study, which is published today in Nature Human Behaviour, will be the cornerstone for greater understanding of the brain mechanisms of face identification, and could have…

Been a bit... plenty of new stuff swarming about. But since you're not here to read my babbling, some images:

A quick comp of some logotype; I think I'm going to stick with this title for the show. In Greek, "opsis" relates variously to seeing and perceiving in general and to the visual elements of theater, and can be thought of as meaning "spectacle." From this the English word "optic" is predictably derived. For the actual logo, I plan to have similar holographic material laser cut and adhered directly to the wall.

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I don't like to boast, but I do enjoy tooting my own horn: a gif I created as part of my project was included in a year-end roundup of art gifs by Christian Petersen for Société Perrier. I've been a bit in awe of the number 1 spot holder Laura Brothers's work for a while, she is doing the whole internet art thing better than anyone else I've seen, and it's an emerging genre which I have a pretty serious interest in. Also, Joe Waine is a friend of mine and Cornish alum. It's an honor, but I bring it up here because it's things like these that build confidence in my direction—I just want to make stuff that people will really enjoy on any level!

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Continuing with my stereogram project... Now that I have gotten a handle on pattern making for the SIRDS program, I've moved on to the beginning phases of creating my actual models for the depth map information. Once again, I'm using the trusty Blender program to do so.

The graphics I'm creating are based conceptually upon different visual ideas, especially those involving binocular fusion and "depth" as a literal and figurative driver. Also interested in hidden information and illusion. 

This one is a nod to impossible objects and M.C. Escher. It is a play on the iconic blivet illusion...

The thing is meant to be a joke of sorts on several levels... in the original illusion, it is the very fact that the image is represented in lines that lends it its irreconcilable effect. Attempting to create a 3D model out of it is inherently futile and serves best as a commentary on the brain's power to fill in information to understand an object in three dimensions, which is a parallel quality of both stereograms and impossible object images.

This one is heavier on the concept side of things. It's another little visual joke pertaining to stereopsis, or the "third eye" through which we perceive the two disparate signals coming from our left and right eyes. Also, the third eye is a deeply spiritual idea, and while I don't have much knowledge in that realm, it's a duality which is funny to me. I think I shall call it "Third Eye Blind."

In creating the actual models, I have to do a lot of tweaking to get the depth map to look right, and the models themselves can look really wacky from any angle except that of the camera's view.

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Since apparently everything is funny to me, I'll include these pictures:

This an artistic visualization of one way to think about the "homunculus" in context of sensory perception. The features are scaled up/down based on the mind's awareness/prioritization of local sensory input. Very grotesque.