Humans are wired to see faces, even in inanimate objects. It’s called Pareidolia.
Pareidolia is the tendency for seeing faces in inanimate objects like the moon, clouds, ink blots, or abstract patterns. Pareidolia used to be considered a symptom of human psychosis, but it is now seen as a normal human tendency.
We are so drawn to see objects as if they are alive that if you are open to it, you can find a character in just about any ordinary object—even a rutabaga. So the pareidolia-accompanying art installation movement of putting googly eyes on objects can make some fun discovery moments. I like these Imperfect Produce pics. They cheer me up every time I see them.
Imperfect Produce pic
Artist Timm Schneider brings life to garbage cans, toilets, and poles in Weisbaden, Germany by applying eyes he made from styrofoam and ping-pong balls.
And Vanyu Krastev “eyebombs” Bulgaria with googlies:
There’s even an international foundation for putting googly eyes on things:
The Googly Eyes Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to spread googly eyes around the world. What do you think of this variety of civic art?
Today, for “Wild Card” Sunday, draw and/or install some googly eyes on things. They can be on photographs (paper or digital) or in real life. You won’t need high drawing skills to doodle out some googlies, but you will exercise your scavenger-hunt skills!
Have fun, and take good photographs. Make sure the object is in focus and has adequate light. Take a moment to crop it for attractive placement – you can use the rule of thirds, middle, or anything else that seems right for the scene. Post your photos so that we can find them with #30sal. Some additional tags you can use are:
Prizes and favorites for the first 10 days of the SAL Challenge will be posted soon. It is taking me some time to pick my favorites – there are so many to choose from! 685 is the Instagram #30sal count today. Fantastic!
In a V. Note from November 2016, I shared “Democracy Has Bad Taste”, and an audio interview on BBC with Grayson Perry. I’ve had pottery on the brain lately (I’m excited for our ceramics studio to open) so today I’m looping back to share some of Perry’s pottery. “What do artist’s do? They notice stuff” …
Are you faltering on your big goals? Did you miss yesterday’s? Don’t worry. It’s normal to skip some days when you’re starting a new habit. You don’t need to go back to finish what you missed. Start where you are with today’s! Today’s SEE & RESPOND Challenge: Finish the sculpture Media is artist’s choice. You …
Have you heard the podcast “Everything is Alive“? In each episode of this unscripted interview series, inanimate objects share their perspectives, and tell us their life story. Louis, a can of cola, talks about his start at the lower generic shelves of the grocery store, then to the back of the fridge, and how he …
Artists need to be able to give and receive feedback on their work, but “critique” is usually synonymous with criticism, and “I like it” doesn’t offer much help to a painter who wants to grow. So how do we see, think about, and evaluate works of art in a way that helps us see, grow, and support …
30SAL Challenge: Googly Eyes on Things
Humans are wired to see faces, even in inanimate objects. It’s called Pareidolia.
Pareidolia is the tendency for seeing faces in inanimate objects like the moon, clouds, ink blots, or abstract patterns. Pareidolia used to be considered a symptom of human psychosis, but it is now seen as a normal human tendency.
We are so drawn to see objects as if they are alive that if you are open to it, you can find a character in just about any ordinary object—even a rutabaga. So the pareidolia-accompanying art installation movement of putting googly eyes on objects can make some fun discovery moments. I like these Imperfect Produce pics. They cheer me up every time I see them.
Artist Timm Schneider brings life to garbage cans, toilets, and poles in Weisbaden, Germany by applying eyes he made from styrofoam and ping-pong balls.
And Vanyu Krastev “eyebombs” Bulgaria with googlies:
There’s even an international foundation for putting googly eyes on things:
The Googly Eyes Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to spread googly eyes around the world. What do you think of this variety of civic art?
Today, for “Wild Card” Sunday, draw and/or install some googly eyes on things. They can be on photographs (paper or digital) or in real life. You won’t need high drawing skills to doodle out some googlies, but you will exercise your scavenger-hunt skills!
Have fun, and take good photographs. Make sure the object is in focus and has adequate light. Take a moment to crop it for attractive placement – you can use the rule of thirds, middle, or anything else that seems right for the scene. Post your photos so that we can find them with #30sal. Some additional tags you can use are:
#30sal #seattleartistleague #googlyeyefoundation #googlyeyes #googlyeyesphoto #eyebombing #pareidolia #funnyart #cuteart #art #artchallenge #artist #artistsoninstagram #instaart #drawthisinyourstyle #artwork #drawingoftheday #dailydrawing #inkdrawing #drawingsketch #artoftheday #myart #creativity #creativechallenge
Prizes and favorites for the first 10 days of the SAL Challenge will be posted soon. It is taking me some time to pick my favorites – there are so many to choose from! 685 is the Instagram #30sal count today. Fantastic!
Related Posts
Grayson Perry’s Pottery
In a V. Note from November 2016, I shared “Democracy Has Bad Taste”, and an audio interview on BBC with Grayson Perry. I’ve had pottery on the brain lately (I’m excited for our ceramics studio to open) so today I’m looping back to share some of Perry’s pottery. “What do artist’s do? They notice stuff” …
Day 5: Venus de Milo #30SAL
Are you faltering on your big goals? Did you miss yesterday’s? Don’t worry. It’s normal to skip some days when you’re starting a new habit. You don’t need to go back to finish what you missed. Start where you are with today’s! Today’s SEE & RESPOND Challenge: Finish the sculpture Media is artist’s choice. You …
30SAL Challenge: Interview an Object
Have you heard the podcast “Everything is Alive“? In each episode of this unscripted interview series, inanimate objects share their perspectives, and tell us their life story. Louis, a can of cola, talks about his start at the lower generic shelves of the grocery store, then to the back of the fridge, and how he …
Describing Paintings to the Blind
Artists need to be able to give and receive feedback on their work, but “critique” is usually synonymous with criticism, and “I like it” doesn’t offer much help to a painter who wants to grow. So how do we see, think about, and evaluate works of art in a way that helps us see, grow, and support …