Objective - Visuals

Objective: To begin the process of creating the compositions that I will be using to test my subjects on how they perceive; an exploration into the principles of Gestalt, Divine Proportions and the Collective Unconscious. A conglomeration of ideas melded into one, ultimately pushing me out of my comfort zone and expanding my art.

The body of work will be comprised of compositions each expressing one of the principles associated with the above aforementioned topic. Ideally the body of work will be comprised of a minimum of twelve compositions but as the process proceeds it may be more. In addition, a web page will be developed to facilitate the testing process; keeping the information all in one location. The majority of the body of work will be created digitally but I will be open to working in other mediums. As I go through the process I will be researching my topic simultaneous since most of the compositions will be based on this information.

Gestalt Principles is based on the observation that we often experience things that are not a part of our simple sensations. Gestalt is a psychology term which means "unified whole". It refers to theories of visual perception developed by German psychologists in the 1920s. These theories attempt to describe how people tend to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes when certain principles are applied. "The sum of the whole is greater than its parts" is the idea behind the principle of gestalt. It's the perception of a composition as a whole. While each of the individual parts has meaning on their own, taken together, the meaning may change. Our perception of the piece is based on our understanding of all the bits and pieces working in unison. The Gestalt approach emphasizes that we perceive objects as well-organized patterns rather than separate component parts.

Gestalt Principles to consider: Similarity, Proximity, Closure, Continuation, Figure/Ground (aka. Pragnanz), Symmetry, Simplicity, Repetition and Anomalous Motion Illusion.

As stated at Answers.com the Collective Unconscious is defined as: In Jungian psychology, a part of the unconscious mind, shared by a society, a people, or all humankind, that is the product of ancestral experience and contains such concepts as science, religion, and morality. (http://www.answers.com/topic/collective-unconscious) Through our own creative mental intentions and abilities, we Self-create: we are the reality-makers of our personal world.

As Priya Hemenway states Divine Proportion is easily expressed in words: The whole is to the larger in exactly the same proportion as the larger is to the smaller. (Hemenway, 3) She continues to claim Divine Proportion is an experience of balance, of the relationship of its parts to the whole. Perceiving it as anything else is missing its most fundamental component. (Hemenway, 92) This puts me in mind of the principle of Gestalt where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. The whole cannot be perceived by a simple addition of isolated parts; each part is influenced by those around it.

As stated at sacred-geometry.com the strands of our DNA, the cornea of our eye, snowflakes, pine cones, flower petals, diamond crystals, the branching of trees, a nautilus shell, the star we spin around, the galaxy we spiral within, the air we breathe, and all life forms as we know them emerge out of timeless geometric codes.

One can see the interconnectedness between all of these ideas that I am exploring; each compliments and expands on the next.

Concepts of Divine Proportions to explore in my compositions: Spiral, phi, symmetry, balance.

I am not limiting myself to these concepts for I am sure as I explore my topics even more concepts will present themselves for consideration; this is just the beginning. I will attempt to create 3-5 compositions for each weekly topic though again I will not limit myself if more ideas emerge.

Works Cited:

Hemenway, Priya. Divine Proportions: Phi In Art, Nature, and Science. 1st. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2005.