THE IMPOSSIBLE UNIVERSAL NEUTRAL, 2005. GOUACHE ON WOOD. 12 X 6 X 2 INCHES.

The Impossible universal neutral is a 3-D model of the Ebbinghaus illusion. When the outside spheres are larger, the middle sphere looks small by comparison. Your brain magnifies this difference; causing the middle sphere to appear even smaller than it actually is. When the outside spheres are smaller, the opposite occurs, and the middle sphere seems larger still. This results in the apparent size difference between the two central spheres, which are actually the same size.

It is thought that this geometric size illusion works because our brain tries to increase differences between objects/things to make them easier to differentiate. This is the focus of my interest, and the transformation of this idea, this illusion, into the realm of social identity and group dynamics. Particularly, how relativity may lead to illusionary understandings of both the self and others in group dynamics. Cowing or puffing. Amour proper.