neetu

BEYOND HORIZON
Neetu Singhal 

Seeing and visual attention are not equivalent. While seeing may refer to light information falling on the retina, visual attention results from the brain’s complex, multi-stage information processing, selecting and filtering from what meets the eye. As a visual artist, I have long practiced control of my visual attention. I can look at a scene and choose to focus on one of its varied elements, e.g., the colors, shapes, or movements; objects and their significance, individual or in relationship. I also use visual attention in art-making. My choices applying color and line to canvas ultimately affect the viewer’s experience of the painting. This video artwork, built around three sets of polarities, asks Which do you see first, or most vividly: hot or cold colors, 2D or 3D spaces, ambiguous objects or ones recognized? The project expresses my belief that art can be used for studying and developing visual attention in a variety of applications, from everyday encounters in museums and public spaces, to research studies of people with attention conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. For more, see artist's personal website.