Symmetrical World

Experiment: Symmetry_Above & Below

Above and Below

In this project, I have edited two videos which are shot from unusual angle. One of the angle is above my head, another is below my knees. From these two unusual angles, I try to discover the images that people hardly see. There are numerous elements were ignored by people in daily life. 

From this experiment, I find some materials that I could continue to explore. 

A. Natural elements & Sounds: trees, shadow, the sound of wind...etc.

B. Lines and shapes appeared in daily life

Whole new symmetrical images can be created with the new lines and shapes. The images and sounds both are parts of the symmetrical world. What is the relationship between symmetry and inner world? People have their own symmetrical world in their mind. If we see this world from different viewpoints, we might find something hidden in visual world. It is another opportunity to explore the symmetry in human mind. 

Practice 3-5

Practice 3-4

Practice 3-3

Practice 3-2

Practice 3-1

New Blog Address

http://shanehsieh.tumblr.com/

Experiment 3-1

Research 3-3

Asymmetry of the nature or symmetry about the people's view of the world.  In particular something about the difference between right and left concern us. "Symmetry is fascinating to the human mind... We have, in our mind, a tendency to accept symmetry as some kind of perfection.”(1)  People love symmetry, scientists and physicists seeking the symmetry of the universe. Even human find something asymmetrical, they try to render it more symmetrical. Further human create symmetry to satisfy the desire for perfection. 

General speaking human believe the beauty and truth associated with symmetry "Symmetry is seen as the royal road to truth - what Abdus Salam described as 'an inner harmony, a deep pervading symmetry'. The problem is that symmetry can be too powerful and seductive..." (Chris, 2002). Without symmetry will seem uncompleted , unbalanced and even worrying. The human mind might love symmetry. However perfect symmetry does not exist in the nature. "Left-right asymmetries are found everywhere in our world and are not easily explained away. It is time to try to integrate those myriad asymmetries into a complete story." (2)

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(1) Van Fraassen, B. C. (1989) Laws and Symmetry, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 242;  Feynman, R. P. (1986) ‘Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman’, London: Unwin, p. 247;  Feynman, R. P. et al. (1963) op. cit., pp. 52-1, 52-12; Feynman, R. P. (1999) Six Not-so-easy Pieces: Einstein’s Relativity, Symmetry, and Space-time, London: Penguin.

(2) Heilbronner, E. and Dunitz, J. (1992) Refections on Symmetry: in Chemistry...and Elsewhere, Weinheim: VCH.

Chris McManus, Right Hand, Left Hand, The Origins of the Asymmetry in Brains, Bodies, Atoms and Cultures, 2002, p. 345, 353.

Research 3-2

Man is all symmetrie
Full of proportions, one limbe to another,
And all to the world besides...

By George Herbert

Why it ought to be symmetrical in human mind? Symmetry is a myth. Our symmetrical arms, legs and body seem to tell us how the world was created. The patterns, architectures and objects around our life, we can easily find the symmetry everywhere. The influence of left-right differences in human mind is powerful. Our views of the world are changed  unconsciously by the invisible power. Probably it is even the 'symmetry instinct'.(1)



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(1)  Tobin, J. (1991) George Herbert: The Complete English Poems, Harmondsworth: Penguin; Van Fraassen, B. C. (1989) Laws and Symmetry, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p.239.

Research 3-1

The Tyger
By William Blake, 1794

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,

In the forests of the night, 

What immortal hand or eye 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry? 

In what distant deeps or skies 

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? 

On what wings dare he aspire? 

What the hand dare sieze the fire? 

And what shoulder, & what art. 

Could twist the sinews of thy heart? 

And when thy heart began to beat, 

What dread hand? & what dread feet? 

What the hammer? what the chain? 

In what furnace was thy brain? 

What the anvil? what dread grasp 

Dare its deadly terrors clasp? 

When the stars threw down their spears, 

And watered heaven with their tears, 

Did he smile his work to see? 

Did he who made the Lamb make thee? 

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright 

In the forests of the night, 

What immortal hand or eye 

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry? 

Symmetry was mentioned in William Blake's lyric, "The Tyger." It is about the beauty and the horror of the natural world. The 'fearful symmetry' might be that of the lamb and the tyger. The poem ends without an answer. In my opinion, it is depends on how you experience this world and what you believe.

Experiment 2-3

The Drawing of the left hand and the right hand

The cooperation of the right and the left hand in drawing a picture. From the drawing, there are obvious differences of lines and curves.  

Although the half picture drawn by the left hand looks childish, but it seems to express more emotions. The two half drawings look so different. It may present the inner feelings and internal conflicts from our mind.

Case study 2-2

  

"I learned that exact symmetry cannot be found in nature... for me is simply about seeing something completely different in something so ordinary. It leaves you with a sense of wonderment and the possibility of a brand new synthesis.”   (Traci Griffin)

It only uses the simply skill- ‘mirrored reflection’, but brings different points of view on ordinary things. From asymmetry to completely symmetrical form, it turns the aspects of usual things upsides down. The opposite idea, perhaps I could transform something symmetrical to asymmetrical structures. Or I could try to discover something seems symmetrical but in fact the subtleties is asymmetrical. Then use some skills to change the viewpoints on common things.

 

Experiment 2-2

Face Ink-blot

I have tried to print my face on the paper. Even fallowed the same steps, every time it still had different patterns. Some patterns look like cry or angry, some look like laugh, it seems to show my inner facial expression.

The mirrored reflection of the half face pattern looks like ‘projective personality test’ in psychology. Probably it could reveal the hidden emotions from reading my symmetrical face ink-blot by myself.

Experiment 2-1

The Brain of Hands

The right and left hand are dominated by the two hemispheres of the brain. The left and right hemispheres of the brain differ in a host of ways, ex: language, emotions and recognition etc.

The fingers which are twisted look like the structure of the brain. The work is a interpretation of the left-right connection between hands and brain.

Case study 2-1

The room was lined from floor to ceiling with dozens of mirrors creating a reflective universe that seems to stretch into infinity.

The images which are reflected constantly create illusions. It offers the viewers a opportunity for experiencing a completely symmetrical world. Use well the skills about theory of symmetry, or it could be a sort of way to cheat our brain then we could get unexpected visuals. The continuity of the images has subtle connection with symmetry, it would be useful for my project.

Research 2-1

Rembrandt's engraving of The Three Trees.

What is the different about the painting? The two versions have a very different feel. "In the top version, the group of trees at the right gives an impression of the energy, whereas in the lower version, the trees are devaluated and emphasis now seems to rest on the flat, extended plain".

People usually read texts from left to right. In addition, it is probable that the left half of space attracts greater attention because of the right parietal lobe. Our eyes are first attracted to the left side of the picture and then move across towards the viewer's right side.

McManus, C. (2002) Right Hand, Left Hand: The Origins of Asymmetry in Brains, Bodies, Atoms and Cultures, p. 326.

Reflection 1-2

The recognition of the brain.

To see is not to believe. We should always question what we see and what we think. The messages that the brain delivered are not always true. The brain is so complex that is why I want people to rethink themselves. There would be more interesting experiments about the two halves brain. Something we have got to used be might hide secrets. The notions of left and right have a deep influence on the way we experience the world.

Reflection 1-1

The conversation with the left and the right hand.

Keeping drawing with my non-dominant hand then I have gotten my own thoughts and feelings flowing out. The experience is so unique and private, it seems that there is different person in my body, another myself. Capacchione (2001) states that it may help to create two characters in your mind, one who represents your heart’s desire and the other who speaks for your block. This might be an opportunity to uncover deeper inner self and to unveil the hidden messages in our mind.

Experiment 1-1

Collect a number of the celebrity faces and create new faces (doubled left half on the right and doubled right half on the left). Then I made a “Face eye chart” by using these symmetrical but odd faces.

Most people feel the real faces of the celebrities look more like their right half. The doubled left half faces look like someone else. In some sense we resemble the right side of our faces more than we resemble the left. By this practice work, I want to give people a hint which is we should always question what we see and even what we think. The messages that the brain delivered are not always true. The brain is so complex that is why I want people to rethink themselves. Inner self could be somewhere waiting for exploring.

Practice 1-1

On the right half, I used the right hand to draw the right brain and wrote down the meaning of 'right' from different culture. On the other half, I used the left hand to draw the left brain and wrote down the meaning of 'left' in mirror direction.

Research 1-3

Most people know that the left face and the right face may be different slightly. The fact less well known is the two halves of the face have different roles which are the recognition of someone's identity and  the interpretation of the emotional state.

"it's the left side of the face that does most to determine which emotions others see in it ...Around eight out of ten people turned out to base their assessment of the depicted character's mood mainly on the left side" (Smits, 2011, p. 143).

(the middle picture shows their face, with below it a doubled left half on the right and a doubled right half ont he left.)

"people feel an image of the right half of a face filled in with a mirror image of that same half bears a greater resemblance to the person depicted than a composite photo made of two images of the left half " (Smits, 2011, p. 143, 144). "in all circumstances it looks more like itself than the left side, which has greater tendency to change according to the mood of its owner" (Smits, 2011, p. 146). 

Smits, R. (2001) The Puzzle of Left-handedness, pp. 143, 144, 146.

Research 1-2

Cultural Theories

Mapuche (Chile, South America)

Right                 Left

good                   evil

life                      death

day                     night

health                 sickness
ancestral spirits   wekufe (evil spirits)
shaman               sorcerer

afterworld           underworld

abundance          poverty
fullness               hunger

English Language Dictionary and Thesaurus 

Right                                         Left                  Left-Handed

correct              straight              clumsy              crippled

direct                true                    awkward          defective
equitable          unswerving       insincere            underhanded  dealing

duty                  upright              indirect              ambiguous

fair                    virtuous            weak                 doubtful

good                                          worthless           questionable

honest                                        gauche              ill-omened

just                                             sinister              inauspicious
lawful                                                                 sinister
perpendicular                                                      unpropitious
privilege
rightful

English Derivation for Left

Language        Word for Left                    Other Meanings
Hindi                Khabba  labra                    weakness, dishonour 

Arab                 usrawi                                weakness, dishonour 

Turkish             solak                                  weakness, dishonour 

Russian             lievia                                  weakness, dishonour 
Chinese            young tso show teih tso      counter, oppose
German            das linksseyn link               someone awkward

French              gauche                               (orig. meaning-bent)

English             gauche                                clumsy, awkward

                         gawky (slang)                     clumsy, awkward                        
                         sinister                                evil

Danish              venstre                                evil

Swedish            wanstre                               evil
Iclandic             vinstri                                 evil

Spanish            zurdo(left-handed)              malicious, going in the wrong diection

                         non se zurdo                      "Don't be stupid."

Italian               mancini                               defective, maimed
                                                                    deceitful (from mancus- maimed)
                         stanca (left-handedness)     fatigued
Portuguese       conhoto (left[handedness)   weak, mischievous
Russian            leja (left-hander)                  (insult), sneakiness
Romany           bongo (left-hand)                evil, crooked
(Gypsy language) 

Capacchione, L. (2001) The Power of Your Other Hand: A Course in Channeling the Inner Wisdom of the Right Brain. Revised edition. Franklin Lakes, NJ, New page books, p.38, p.40.