Visual art has the capacity to bare perception to itself and, for this, light is the ultimate instrument
Darkness
My Light Dance artwork begins in total darkness
I remove all light from a space to clear perception
Without light, the eye has nothing to “grab on to,” no surface to begin to see distance, or edge to infer a corner
In darkness, the visual brain waits in a state of potential
A sliver of light
A light cone cast from my body becomes visible as an ellipse when it hits the wall
In stillness, the ellipse conveys no depth, but is two-dimensional
Light Dance creates a “low-dimensional" visual environment to study how the brain constructs a world
Darkness
My Light Dance artwork begins in total darkness
I remove all light from a space to clear perception
Without light, the eye has nothing to “grab on to,” no surface to begin to see distance, or edge to infer a corner
In darkness, the visual brain waits in a state of potential
A sliver of light
A light cone cast from my body becomes visible as an ellipse when it hits the wall
In stillness, the ellipse conveys no depth, but is two-dimensional
Light Dance creates a “low-dimensional" visual environment to study how the brain constructs a world
Articulated illumination
With the slightest movement, the ellipse dimensionally expands
From a two-dimensional sequence, the brain constructs a three-dimensional form
Radial geometries extending from the body
With additional movement, two circles projected from the arms generate higher-order geometries
Light is used not to illuminate the material world, but to raise awareness of perceptual processes
Light Dance uses light in the manner of vision to make the seeing process visible
Seth Riskin is a visual artist exploring perception through the instrument of light
Riskin redefines ‘light art’ as a means of revealing perception to itself. His original tools reduce light to “geometric minima,” enabling Riskin to shape perceptions of space and time. Since 1987, he has worked at MIT in dialogue with scientists, engineers and scholars from a range of adjacent fields. Penetrating to the foundation of visual experience, Riskin’s work represents the intersection of visual art and vision neuroscience, a new space of interacting practice and theory that he is actively unfolding in collaboration.
Light Dance is the primary form of Riskin’s work
Riskin’s Light Dance art form uses light in the manner of vision, cast from the artist’s body to the boundaries of a dark room. In these silent, space-defining performances, Riskin sweeps out radial geometries that encompass viewers in a new perceptual experience.
Turning vision inside out, Riskin makes low-level perceptual responses accessible to conscious study
Light is the means, but Riskin sees perception as his medium. His light stimuli do not illuminate; they become objects of perception. Working with these perceptual units in situ, he “speaks” to the early visual system of the human brain. Riskin sees his work as part of the long, artistic tradition of exploring perception by physical creation, a legacy he builds upon with technology, turning light into reflexive experiences of vision. Riskin teaches, conducts research and applies light in a range of artistic experiments.