Revealing through raindrops

Photo by Tarsem Saini, via Desi Comments

While reading about Oliver Sachs' new book The Mind's Eye and perusing some of his research / articles, I came across the story of John Hull, who recorded his experiences and reflections as he lost his vision and then while living as a newly blinded person.  I read an excerpt from this collection entitled Touching the Rock, and his description of rain and what that means is incredibly poignant ... never thought of it in that way.  Perhaps my own senses, even as a completely able-bodied person, need honing to hear nature's concealed symphony.

One particular passage :

I hear the rain pattering on the roof above me, dripping down the walls to my left and right, splashing from the drainpipe at ground level on my left, while further over to the left there is a lighter patch as the rain falls almost inaudibly upon a large leafy shrub. On the right, it is drumming, with a deeper, steadier sound upon the lawn. I can even make out the contours of the lawn, which rises to the right in a little hill. The sound of the rain is different and shapes out the curvature for me. ... Over the whole thing, like light falling upon a landscape is the gentle background patter gathered up into one continuous murmur of rain.

I think that this experience of opening the door on a rainy garden must be similar to that which a sighted person feels when opening the curtains and seeing the world outside. Usually, when I open my front door, there are various broken sounds spread across a nothingness. I know that when I take the next step I will encounter the path, and that to the right my shoe will meet the lawn. ...  I know all these things are there but I know them from memory. ... The rain presents the fullness of an entire situation all at once, not merely remembered, not in anticipation, but actually and now...

If only rain could fall inside a room, it would help me to understand where things are in that room, to give a sense of being in the room, instead of just sitting on a chair.

This is an experience of great beauty. I feel as if the world, which is veiled until I touch it, has suddenly disclosed itself to me. I feel ! that the rain is gracious, that it has granted a gift to me, the gift of the world...

from RAIN 9 September 1983, in Touching the Rock
(italics are my own)

Textures of MIT

In the last FAST class, we presented ideas for neuroscience based installations, stemming from a presentation by Professor Pawan Sinha, from the Brain and Cog department, about his research on visual neuroscience, or visualizations of how the brain learns to see and process information.  My summary doesn't do his research justice, so it might be better just to watch his TED talk instead for some very cool demonstrations of his work as applied through his non-profit in India.

In any rate, our group was massive (5 architecture students plus 1 musicology student) and we generated 3 project ideas for last week.  Kelly and I worked on one of them, which was based on the brain's gradual process of deciphering an image from its parts to the whole (particularly at the moment when a blind person regains eyesight and the brain needs to learn to see).  In this, we conceived of a texturized wall with a blank digital surface on top that people could press or rub in order to reveal the image beneath.  At first the textures would be abstract patches, but over time and from a distance, the overall image would be recognized as more people participate.

The original example image, with outlines extracting its principal elements :

Various texture abstractions of the image, with each combination affecting how one perceives the actual result :

Image of the potential installation wall :

If digitized, the image behind could change and potentially be "layered," like Old Masters paintings that have been concealed by other paintings and can only be revealed by careful stripping.  (Hm...hopefully that reference makes sense.  See the Thomas Crown Affair if not.)  In class, we  discussed potentially having the rate at which someone rubbed the wall affect the image that is revealed underneath, so that a series of images could be revealed at once that would tell a narrative relating to MIT's history or future trajectory.

This is a bit abstract, but of course, I'm procrastinating from my current work by writing this post about my work... and this is still a theoretical project.  By tomorrow, we need to conceive of a final project idea, so we'll see what comes of that.

Nothing else will do

Early mornings inspire these sort of songs.

The Lo Clan in the Midwest

It was pretty funny to write that blog title.  The Lo family?  In the Midwest?  What?  But indeed, that's what has happened.  Now we no longer only bookend the United States, but we're slowly infiltrating the heartland.

In the past 2 weeks, 3 particular members celebrated getting one year older (and literally, just one year for one of them). Happy birthday to GG, Jenny, and Isaac!  Yes, all 3 in one family have birthdays from mid to the end of October.  (This was not planned.)

I snagged a few pictures from their blog, since I (sniff) won't be able to head out there in person in the near future :

 The daddy and son.

The mommy and son.

Alas, I won't be able to make it this weekend for Isaac's one year old birthday bash.  This occasion, called Tol, carries quite a bit of significance in Korean culture (and has the food to celebrate with as well!).  One of the main events is the Toljabee, in which the child's future is determined by which object he or she is attracted to from a pile set before him or her.  On the list of meanings that I found online :

• bow and arrow: the child will become a warrior 
• needle and thread: the child will live long 
• jujube: the child will have many descendants 
• book, pencil, or related items: the child will become a successful scholar 
• rice or rice cake (or money): the child will become rich
• ruler, needle, scissors: the child will be talented with his/her hands 
• knife: the child will be a good cook

Some of these items seem not so safe for a one year old to be grabbing (like...a needle?  or knife?).  Anyways, based on his parents, Isaac might go for the book/pencil or ruler/scissors (... dangerous for a one year old)...  although if he follows the Biblical footsteps of Abraham, then maybe the jujube?  (Do people even put that out as an option anymore?)

In any rate, we'll hear more on Saturday!  Hopefully I'll make it out there soon...