Date of Award
Spring 5-30-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Glass
First Advisor
Rachel Berwick
Second Advisor
Jocelyne Prince
Third Advisor
Ian Alden Russell
Abstract
The farther we peer into the depths of human consciousness, the subatomic realm of quantum physics or the vast expanse of the observable universe, the more our notion of an objective physical reality or a predetermined, public, external world is challenged. With each new door we open, an entirely new set of questions is revealed. The world we perceive is never a direct representation, but even knowing how constructed our perception of an external reality is, are we capable of letting go of it? Through perceptual alchemy, my work probes the threshold between our constructed reality and the ‘external world’, refocusing the viewer on the internal aspects of visual perception as it is mediated through our senses. By presenting a series of visual phenomena such as a cloud of pixelated light, static objects that appear to move in our peripheral vision, immaterial materials, and physical holograms, the viewer is encouraged to confront the impossibility of the situation and come to terms with their framed interpretation.
Recommended Citation
Voelbel, Evan, "Perceptual alchemy" (2017). Masters Theses. 154.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/154
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.