We are at the circus, watching a trained seal balancing a ball atop a slender stick. Seeing-as vision connect spectator and performer in a new way. Arnold Cusmariu: Leda (2001) According to legend, Zeus came to Leda in the form of a swan seeking protection from a pursuing eagle. Their consummation resulted in a daughter later known as Helen of Troy, ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ and the Trojan Wars. Seen from left to right, Leda appears as Zeus saw her as he approached her disguised as a swan. Seen from right to left, the result of their consummation is apparent: Leda is evidently pregnant. Seeing-as vision is necessary to capture the full aesthetic content. Thus, the breast-shaped volumes can be seen as part of Leda’s hair in both directions. 7 = oo = | = setae = r r Arnold Cusmariu: David (2001) My rendition of the bib described in the Books of Samuel lical showdown between David and Goliath takes viewers to the field of battle. Seen from left to right, the figure looks unyielding, projecting confidence of victory despite the overwhelming odds. This is understood he must not show opposite impression emerges a compatriots must have felt if Philistines took to flight and the failed, the consequences would used to suggest that, while these what Goliath saw as he faced David, who fear. Seen from right to left, a diametrically nd suggests the dread that David and his he failed. Seeing their champion dead, the Israelites followed in hot pursuit. Had David have been serious. Massive negative space is consequences would have been serious, they would not have been fatal for the sraelites. View 1 is a side view of a traditional female torso. View 2 confirms this impression but also shows something inconsistent: a left shoulder that is not to scale compared to the right shoulder and that resembles a fetus in the womb, thus not belonging to the same figure. View 3 shows that the shoulder belongs to a second, much smaller female figure, whose long, braided hair was first seen in View 1. The final example of incompatibility is the hair itself, which can be seen as a standing female figure that is not apparent from previous views. Perceptual discontinuity is exemplified; normal vision as well as seeing-as vision is involved in capturing aesthetic content. Counterpoint 1-7 sculptures were all made in one year. Arnold Cusmariu: Counterpoint 1 (2002) Arnold Cusmariu: Counterpoint 2 (2002) Forms interwoven in this composition are larger and more space exists between the various elements. Directional vision is needed in the view at right. From right to left, the female figure faces inward, as if bound in the stone, arms in front and above her head. From left to right, the figure faces outward, arms up behind her head, as if seeking to escape the confines of the stone. More photos would reveal how other incompatible attributes are combined. There are many more interconnected figures than is apparent from three photos. Seeing-as vision is required to absorb the elements present, identify incompatible attributes, and even count the number of figures. The viewer’s memory is taxed extensively to link attributes evident as the viewer moves around the sculpture even as little as ten degrees of arc apart. Variations of scale add to the complexity of the composition. Dimensionalized Examples of Keep Up With Technology (Or Be Left Behind)
