Friend's Room

The space I chose was relatively static, which presented both pros and cons. While, nothing was really there to naturally grab my attention, I was able to let my vision wander around the room, exploring various spots very thoroughly. 

What was your initial visual impression of the space you chose?

- My initial impression of the space was that it was cluttered, unkempt, a little bit neglected. Empty bottles and plastic cups were scattered around the room, and the desk was covered with intersecting and tangled wires. The room is relatively dim-lit. A ceiling light provides an artificial white light, while a wall-facing lamp produces a yellow glow. There are just as many things on the ground as on the desk: papers, socks, bags, shoes, cardboard boxes. 

How did you respond to it physiologically (where the eye moved to) and psychologically (in how you perceived and responded to the visual scene)?

- After closing and opening my eyes, I would naturally look at the pops of color within the room. My eyes would shift from bottle to bottle, those being the most colorful objects in the room. There's a pink lotion bottle, a red water filter, a half-filled bottle of mango juice, an empty Gatorade bottle etc. I would then look at other groups of objects together. Several pairs of shoes are clumped together. A pile of piano sheet music lies on the corner of the table. A pile of clothes are left on the bed. The overall feeling of these disorganized piles is a little bit somber, like the owner is too tired to move anything to its proper place. However, the warm light from the lamp also makes the room feel cozy. The shadows produced by this light makes the whole scene seem very full. 

What did you notice by the end of the experience that you didn’t notice initially? Why?

- I noticed the shadows of things a lot more after a while. Initially, the colorful objects draw my attention, but since the lamp's light is at a low angle, these objects also create long shadows, emanating from the direction of the lamp. These shadows also contrast against the bright bottles scattered around the room. I started noticing the textures of objects too: the crumpled vs smooth pieces of paper, condensation forming inside a bottle, the wood-grain of the bedpost. They serve to set objects apart from one another. The hard shiny plastics shine brightly against an opaque background, while the softness of a pair of socks matches well against the carpet they lie on.