Illusion of Perception

Toronto 2010, from our recent vacation.

I've been thinking a lot about perception lately, as I always do at the start of the new term.

The puzzle comes back when I begin to map a course: how is it possible to picture a round world in a flat rectangle? The projection of one onto one feels miraculous and ordinary. That paradox is thrilling, intoxicating! I want to share it with you. But for you to see it, to do it, first I've got to make the process visible.

And yet I'm filled with doubt. How can I do that? That is, what will you (in class) perceive as I waltz through my material, the rant of my lecture, the pictures on screen, the assignments, and my reactions to your assignments?

And, how will I perceive that you're seeing anything? Even seeing that you're paying attention is difficult. (Although it's easy to see when you're falling asleep in class...sometimes.)

At the start of each new term it comes back to me that, really, the project of learning, and of teaching, revolves around and into the project of being aware of each other, of paying attention. And of knowing when to pay attention, and when not to.

One clue, for me, is to notice if you're sitting forward in your seat. (Although that's such an easy thing to do that perhaps it's not a great indicator after all.)



Beau Lotto asks a discomforting question: can you trust perception? Are you sure?

Yesterday I spent some time with my colleague and good friend at Columbia University Teachers College, Gao Jun, talking about the perception of time. How do we know past is past and future is future? How do we know we share a common present? And what role does photography play in creating or accentuating that knowledge?

And, what role does photography education play in supporting the illusion that any of this is even possible in the first place! (Are we educators merely enablers and collaborators in the service of a giant and paradoxical illusion?)

Yikes! What a spirited subject! And what a great chat!

...and essential to the project of photography education.

How do I 'teach' you to be an artist, a photographer, a designer? I don't have nearly enough time to even begin the conversation in our once a week meetings!

But after ruminating a bit (a long time, actually), I think maybe the path forward is to simply point out a path, of sorts — a path where the act of perception is consciously critiqued, embraced, and engaged.

What are you seeing? Can you bring in it, remap it, and project it back out?

Look at more of Beau Lotto's work at Lottolab. For more on the perception of color, see Olaf Elliason's Experiment. Both of these works owe a great deal to the color theory of Josef Albers and his book, Interaction of Color. For a fascinating short read about the way different cultures think about and perceive color, see Color Cognition from the New York Times.

Gao Jun, Floral Life 2010.3.7-2010.3.21