In a darkened space, hourglass-shaped O=O objects were arranged to interact with the movement of visitors. Motion sensors were embedded in each piece, triggering separately the flickering lights. Standing still for about a dozen seconds caused all lights to gradually extinguish, immersing the visitor in pitch-black surroundings. At Roodkapje Gallery and DordtYart Center, this effect was amplified by black-painted walls, black ceilings, and soft black carpeted floors. After remaining motionless in complete darkness, visitors’ eyes adjusted, and subsequent movement, reactivating the lights, could provoke an afterimage — an ephemeral imprint of the interplay between light and shadow, presence and absence.
The work drew inspiration from research showing the brain’s ability to detect meaning in images within just 13 milliseconds. Studies reveal that even brief exposure allows people to identify complex visuals through an initial wave of neural processing, demonstrating the mind’s rapid and efficient interpretation of visual information, often without conscious awareness or context.
Dimensions variable
Objects with light and moving sensors: 60cm and 30cm
Review:
Anna Batko, Open Your Eyes, I Can’t See You: On Ewa Wesolowska’s Exhibition O=O (Otwórz oczy bo Cię nie widzę – o wystawie Ewy Wesołowskiej), Oronsko Magazine of Polish Sculpture Center, Issue 1–2/2015:
Review online (eng)
Kwartalnik Orońsko nr.1–2/2015 on issuu (pl)
Pdf (review only in pl+eng)
References:
Potter, Mary & Wyble, Brad & Hagmann, Carl & McCourt, Emily. (2013). Detecting meaning in RSVP at 13 ms per picture. Attention, perception & psychophysics. 76. 10.3758/s13414-013-0605-z.
Dimensions variable
Objects with light and moving sensors: 60cm and 30cm
In a darkened space, hourglass-shaped O=O objects were arranged to interact with the movement of visitors. Motion sensors were embedded in each piece, triggering separately the flickering lights. Standing still for about a dozen seconds caused all lights to gradually extinguish, immersing the visitor in pitch-black surroundings. At Roodkapje Gallery and DordtYart Center, this effect was amplified by black-painted walls, black ceilings, and soft black carpeted floors. After remaining motionless in complete darkness, visitors’ eyes adjusted, and subsequent movement, reactivating the lights, could provoke an afterimage — an ephemeral imprint of the interplay between light and shadow, presence and absence.
The work drew inspiration from research showing the brain’s ability to detect meaning in images within just 13 milliseconds. Studies reveal that even brief exposure allows people to identify complex visuals through an initial wave of neural processing, demonstrating the mind’s rapid and efficient interpretation of visual information, often without conscious awareness or context.
Review:
Anna Batko, Open Your Eyes, I Can’t See You: On Ewa Wesolowska’s Exhibition O=O (Otwórz oczy bo Cię nie widzę – o wystawie Ewy Wesołowskiej), Oronsko Magazine of Polish Sculpture Center, Issue 1–2/2015:
Review online (eng)
Kwartalnik Orońsko nr.1–2/2015 on issuu (pl)
Pdf (review only in pl+eng)
References:
Potter, Mary & Wyble, Brad & Hagmann, Carl & McCourt, Emily. (2013). Detecting meaning in RSVP at 13 ms per picture. Attention, perception & psychophysics. 76. 10.3758/s13414-013-0605-z.