Apophenia is defined as the experience of seeking patterns in random or meaningless data. Some common situations in which this can be taken overboard are mental illnesses, gambling, religion, and paranormal studies (paranoia). Rorshach (or inkblot) tests use this trait in an attempt to harness the brain's need for meaning (in this case, visual meaning) in order to translate psychological stress into something that can be addressed. There are many examples of artists using the Rorshach as a visual effect, everything from this Gnarls Barkley video to Annette Messager's Handbook of Everyday Magic.
Annette Messager, selections from the Handbook of Everyday Magic found in Annette Messager: The Messangers. Prestel. 2007 |
Our brains are hard-wired to seek solutions, often through the recognition of patterns. Without this trait, there would be no internet, no urban planning, no networking, hell, no wheels or even the Promethean feat of having discovered fire. We wouldn't be human without our determination to distinguish. But, like any other inclination, there is a tipping point when the search for meaning can be taken to extremes.
Karley Sullivan. Three Symmetry. 2012
The effects are so easy, you just click a series of buttons. Technology continues to confound and delight me, and like deciphering a code, the pleasure of figuring it out is instant. Isn't that the spice of life? Figuring out how to press the buttons effectively? I felt like I had done just that, but soon realized how redundant and obvious it can become when the special effects overpower the piece. So I took a break from making, did some painting, and got back into reading books.
Karley Sullivan. Invasives: Controlled Burn, Privet on Fire, a Burning Bush. 8x12 in. each. oil on canvas. 2012 |