Space: A Discovery of Visual Language

Author

Kelley White, Virginia Commonwealth University

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/HVM8-R492

Defense Date

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Design

First Advisor

Kelley White

Abstract

Space is a visual communicator. The act of perceiving space is a neurological soiree that projects and negotiates meaning in our constructed world. The poetry that we observe within space is tied directly to our emotions and to previous experience. Within ourselves, we each have particular feelings, unconscious or not, relating to height, length, and depth, as well as light and shadow. For example, a long, narrow hallway may elicit anxiety, while an open, sunlit nave in a cathedral may bring about feelings of serenity and joy. Our observations and interactions within the perceptual confines of space reveal clues to construction, movement, and play. Additionally, this participation unveils our awareness of space, and thus, reveals that our relationship with space exists in our acknowledgement of it—in our permitting of perception through conscious participation. To explore these ideas further, I will utilize typography to create immersive, sensory experiences that challenge interpretation through the application of human thought, or sensations, to non-living things and material states. This method will assist the observers to rationalize and create meaning within their own world through simplifying an experience in relation to self. Here, spatial language—like light, shadow, dimension, and proximity—will be exposed as a universal and innate part of our perception.

Rights

© The Author

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

5-16-2011