Experiments In Body Graphics
Dakoda Hughes
This thesis has largely been built upon an interest in optical illusions. From making motion graphics with honey to building topographic, typographic landscapes in halftone, I am interested in fooling the eye.
A particular phenomena I am curious about is the phenomenon of a moving, vibrating edge where certain colors meet. Complementary color vibrations and combinations of high contrast cause a physical, bodily reaction that originates in the optical processing systems. Even if the degree of intensity varies from retina to retina and color combination to color combination, energy is still created causing visceral sensations.
In its latest iteration, the project has turned into a way of using color vibration, pattern making, and Risograph printing in an attempt to make dimensional textures. Using architectural figurines, I have imagined landscapes for the work to be explored and, quite literally, embody the viewer.
This latest project does not argue for the use of this phenomenon nor does it seek to educate as to why it makes reading text more difficult and inaccessible. This project is more directly interested in the mechanisms of the visual complex and how I could intervene as a designer.