Exquisite Overlap, Meghan Riley and Steve Beukema, 2017, Wood, Mirror, Cardstock
Exquisite Overlap deconstructs the mechanics of stereo-vision, pulling it apart into the two different perspectives of each eye.
It is in the variance of these two points of view that creates our 3D vision; sculpts a scene into depth; breaks the camouflage of spatial layers blending into one and clarifies the space between.
Exquisite Overlap is a deck of training cards for participants to practice Free-fuse convergence of their eyes, a technique that merges two separate photographs together in order to create an artificial and illusory 3D scene. It is a technique that requires practice, but has the potential of training stereo-vision and is used in vision therapy programs for those who are stereo-blind. The Free-fuse photographs feature a snowy forest where 3D sight is aroused and activated by multiple layers of branches that assert their placement in space, out of the camouflage of blending greys and browns.
“The Convergence Initiative is an independent Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge of neuroscience and art and promoting the cross-pollination between these two disciplines.
Ultimately, our goal is to influence people’s perspectives about neuroscience and the arts. Toward this end, Convergence fosters collaboration, trans-disciplinary thought and knowledge sharing. We do this by supporting programs and activities, engaging in partnerships with other institutions and organizations, and by hosting conferences, exhibitions, workshops, and pedagogical exercises. We aim to facilitate research, discussion, and the transmission of knowledge. Our goal is to advance the education of neuroscience and art, to promote the intersection between these two disciplines, and to engage the public with new ideas.
Convergence works in partnership with the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Program of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), the Concordia University Faculty of Fine Arts (FoFA), the Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN/ACN), and the Visual Voice Gallery. Convergence also benefits from the support of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation and the Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN) of McGill University.
Since its origins in 2016, a primary activity of Convergence has been the coordination of an interdisciplinary course hosted at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Concordia University. The course started in 2017 as an experimental independent study worth three credits with registration open to FoFA students with volunteer attendance open to IPN/BRaIN trainees. Twenty FoFA students and sixteen IPN/BRaIN trainees participated in that first iteration. In 2018, the course evolved to a full-year course worth six credits with registration open to both FoFA and IPN students, plus the option to volunteer for all BRaIN trainees. Fourteen FoFA students and twelve IPN/BRaIN trainees participated in that second iteration. A third iteration of the course started in September 2019.”
Meghan Riley 