Here: some iPhone captures of light-matter systems whose patterns I found beautiful. It’s cool how subtle variations between photos/videos of a pattern can make a world of difference, in form and in feeling — I included some duplicates so you can check that out for yourself. Also, some ideas for how to look at the patterns, and some other perceptual considerations, inspired by my own engagement with them. Hope you enjoy. :)
1.
House in Portland, Maine. Sunlight streams through dirty door-top window. Passing through gap in a curtain, it illuminates a spider web, the wall, and the floor. Middle photo uses flash.
Suggestion: Muse about which details of the light pattern are formed by the spider web, and which by the dirt on the window.
2.
Brick wall at restaurant in Portland, Maine. Pink LEGO, pink light.
Suggestion: Take in the different configurations of pink light as you flip through the images. Notice how the configurations elicit subtly different feelings. As investigations of the body sensations that emerge as responses to the images, try flipping through the images quickly vs. slowly, and linearly vs. back-and-forth.
3.
Bathtub in Amsterdam. Lit by window (slats, to the right) and overhead light.
Suggestion: In the second video, maintain focus on the water that pools on the rim of the tub to the right of the spout. In the third video, maintain focus on the full system of water on the floor of the tub
4.
Escalator in Amsterdam Schiphol airport. Metal warping distorts reflection.
Suggestion: Pay attention to the apparent vertical bands formed by the distortion.
5.
Co-working space in Amsterdam. Staircase reflects on plastic square. I move back and forth.
Suggestion: Maintain tight eye focus on the plaque.
p.s. –
6.
Harbor in Chania, a Cretan town. Lampposts and building lights make wavy vertical patterns in the water.
Suggestion: See the light strips as time-series signals. Normally, these signals are presented horizontally, with time on the horizontal axis, and the measurement on the vertical axis. Here, it is rotated by 90˚.