Perception Studies
In ordinary vision, we don’t see rectilinear, three-dimensional objects; we think them.
Lines are seldom straight; angles are rarely 90°. We do not see three-dimensional forms all at once; we assemble them over time and by the cognitive integration of lower-level percepts, such as two-dimensional shapes.
In these studies of the Light Dance technique—articulated illumination and resulting perceptions—light is used in the manner of vision, tracing over objects and scenes.
The resulting compositions are perceptual constructs made manifest.
The light line correlates to edge detection in the eye.
The scanning of the line correlates to the incessant movements of the eye.
The resulting images may bear resemblance to the raw light information that lands on the retina before inferences are made downstream in the visual process.
The goal of the study is to open dialogue with vision neuroscientists and explore Light Dance as externalized seeing process that informs art and science alike.
The following images and descriptions are original perception studies by Seth Riskin, published in Lucent Volumes: Perceiving Light as a Reflexive Experience of Vision Through Light Dance (Plymouth University, 2021).
Solid cube
The two reference images show the set up for a related cube experiment. In this experiment, the single cube is mounted on the shaft of a variable-speed motor. A thin line of white light is cast from across the table onto a rotating mirror, also mounted on a variable-speed motor. The mirror reflects the line onto the spinning cube, sweeping across the cube surface. The rotations of the cube and the mirror span from 15 – 30 rotations/second. In the eye of the viewer the brightness/darkness patterns compose a three-dimensional object in perception, one that shows radial reference to the source: lines are curved, perspectives are multiple and the vanishing point of the perspective lines lies in the space of the viewer—all indicators of inverse perspective.
Lattice cube
The lattice cube is rotated about its central, vertical axis. A line of laser light sweeps vertically over the cube, revealing it as a time-based image seen in multiple perspectives. At an oblique angle, the lattice cube appears curved like a portion of a spherical sector. The perceived material form demonstrates inverse perspective as a moving “slice” of the visual field that grows larger with distance from the source.
Plane and line of light
An aluminum plate painted white rotates on the shaft of a variable-speed motor. A similarly rotating mirror sweeps a line of laser light over the surface of the aluminum plate. The visual result is curvature. Changing the direction of the light line’s sweep across the plane gives a variety of transformations. The object can be turned “inside-out”, i.e., the object movement and the slice illumination combine to effect an inverted spatial order.
Corner and line of light
An inward, right-angle corner of wood, 28” wide by 15” tall is set on a turntable. A line of laser light scans vertically over the corner as it rotates. The corner turns clockwise; the line scans counterclockwise. The perceived object in red is the result of rotation of the physical corner combined with the laser sweep. In Light Dance, movements about multiple axes are generated by the body, e.g., the instrumented arm of the performer rotates about multiple axes. The convolution of the sweeping brightness interacting with rectilinear architecture generates complex, curvilinear brightness structures in perception.
Space-Time 1
In this experimental system for optically sculpting a rigid object, a laser light line periodically sweeps over a 1” cone at high speed. The cone appears transformed—elongated or contracted—and can be shaped by adjusting the relative speeds and directions of the movements.
