by Helen Saunderson
When is a bin bag not a bin
bag? What happens when you look at an art work that is a gnome covered in
cigarettes? Does it matter if you are Homer Simpson (art novice?) or
Brian Sewell (art critic)?
Helen will describe psychological research undertaken to answer these, and
other arty questions. Starting with a plea for a cross-disciplinary "Babel
fish", she described how the eyes function (with some interesting
examples of how easily they can be fooled!). Leading onto the method of the
research, namely using a machine - which was likened to that in ‘A Clockwork
Orange’ - but that in fact only records where and when somebody looks. Helen described her preliminary results, and what these might tell us in
relation to the questions posed...
Helen Saunderson is currently a PhD student at the University of Leicester, researching how people look at contemporary art and the influence of art expertise. Previously she undertook a joint honours degree in Fine Art and Psychology at Reading University, cementing a long-term interest in art and psychology with a dissertation that investigated if there were difference when people looked at originals and reproductions of paintings. In addition she maintains an artistic practice, which is also diverse, ranging from creating spheres from recycled plastic, knitting scarves for trees and creating images from drawing pins.