Psychology, Science and Art: Part 1

There is one topic which has endessly inspired my passion for the creative industry; psychology. It is a fact that everything is interconnected, a process of ongoing relationships between the conscious and subconscious that determines who we are as individuals and the way in which we look at creative imagery/ art.

Our perspective could perhaps be compared to that of an individual fingerprint; no two entirely identical as they are tailored to our personal experiences, knowledge and chemical reactions formed by highly complex processes in our brains.

There are two key elements that form our perspective on visual art:

Nativistic Perception: Eye and brain matched synchrony transforming electromagnetic energy into neurochemical codes.

Directed Perception: Based on personal history and knowledge.

I would argue that art is one of THE most intellectual industries; one that stimulates our minds and inspires positivity- both elements that I believe we require as human beings. Art was 'invented' (perhaps recognized would be a better word as art can arguably be created in nature too... hence the Peacock above) as we have evolved over thousands of years, suggesting it can only be acquired by a highly complex brain. As we attain more awareness of both the physical and psychological world; art has refined itself from a literal interpretation to that with more conceptual meaning and depth.

 Prehistoric Cave Art

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Pre Raphaelite Art (1000s of years later)

          Pre Raphaelite Art

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Pop Art (over 100 years later)

As the human conscious has evolved with, and perhaps through art, new artistic movements follow. As an example, the era of Pop Art wouldn't have been relevant to the 19th century as the movements that happened between this time all led to the Pop Art movement. As we have become more complex beings, we are able to process information more efficiently/effectively, however the previous movement must have arguably occurred to lead to the next.

There is always the wonder of how much our directed perception (personal knowledge & history) affects us however, whether artistic thought is led more objectively through our nativistic perception (chemical codes) than we are led to think.

I believe that we have currently found ourselves at a very exciting/ scary time in art as the industry has become saturated very rapidly by the dominance of the technology era. Art and information is now 1000% more easily attainable (a personal, not factual guess!) and although indirectly related, human relationships have changed too, no doubt modifying the ever fluctuating ideals of society.

My opinion is that to become more knowledgeable and personalised in the field of art, you need to nurture your relationship between the conscious and subconscious...after all, psychology is an undeniable force to be reckoned with whether you like it or not.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Visiting Mexico: Food, Culture and Facts

As you arrive in Cancun airport you may feel quite overwhelmed by the influx of eager holidaymakers- I certainly experienced this firsthand being part of a seemingly never ending cue for foreign immigration- you could almost see the tumbleweed roll out from the Mexican 'locals' area...

Cancun is one of the biggest tourist hotspots- at this time of year largely filled with Canadians and Americans fleeing their snow capped homes for a more preferable alternate. There is also a splash of european holidaymakers (myself included of course) attempting the same sunshine escape.

Usually one for avoiding 'tourist trap' offerings, we did walk past (shielded by the glass wall of arrivals) a rather tempting looking 'Bubba Gump' restaurant -an american restaurant inspired by the shrimp boat success in the film Forrest Gump- making a mental note of a quick visit on our way back to the UK...

As I'm sure you may have experienced when stepping off a plane, you begin to evaluate your surroundings- eyes wide open, senses at the ready in the pursuit to form a picture of your location. Sense of smell is my most prominent receptor as I enter unfamiliar territory; Mexico being a combination of dusty, exotic surroundings combined with quite an appealing aroma of tobacco.

I was particularly impressed by was the effective road network and ease of driving- after overcoming the initial uncertainty of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road of course. The roads are simple and well structured, with regular 'retourno' sights to correct a missed turning or change of plan- a much quicker solution than missing a turnoff on the M25!

Cancun is based in Yucatan peninsula, the tip of the South-East region of Mexico. One aspect which shocked me was the lack of colour in the landscape, appearing rather barren in certain places- far from the colourful Frieda Kahlo interpretations which Spring to mind.

The geographic explanation for this landscape is the lack of rivers/ lakes in Yucan; replaced instead by beautifully mysterious centotes (natural sinkholes) unique to this part of the world, believed to be the entrance to the 'Mayan Underworld'.

The food is absolutely delicious to say the least although it can be very easy to be carried away by the copius amounts of cheese melted onto everything. My favourites included fresh guacamole, chipotle sauce, enchiladas, tortilla soup and quesadillas. A little tip? Everything tastes that little bit yummier with an extra squeeze of lime.

Talking of lime, margaritas are a popular drink of choice in Mexico, with countless varieties of tequila filling the shelves at all the local shops. At first, I felt a little guilty of my much increased salt intake through margaritas alone, until realising it was clearly a logical option as we need more salt in the heat of the sunshine...;)

Mexico is a fantastic, friendly destination and I would recommend a visit to anyone. One experience which I would like to do one day would be to hire a car and drive around (the non dodgy parts of) Mexico from one place to place. Staying in smaller hotels and visiting everything!

p.s I'm pleased to say that I made it to Bubba Gump, where I managed to squeeze in a final margarita of the trip!

To visit my blog post on Mayan history please click here.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk