Reflecting on what we can see.
Most of us use a mirror every day without actually considering how a mirror is made. We also assume that what we see if a true reflection of ourselves and what others might see. As you gaze upon your reflection, have you considered how it works or if what you are seeing is actually the truth?
We have long sought to see our reflection, although it wasn’t originally through the mirrors that we use today. Humans probably first started to ponder their looks in pools of water (who could forget the tragic tale of Narcissus?1) and the earliest man-made mirrors were from polished stone and the volcanic glass, obsidian. Later, we started making mirrors from polishing metal surfaces like copper, bronze, gold and silver, making them heavy and, consequently, small. In the 14th century, the Venetians invented crude mirrors using glass, later backed with an amalgam of tin and mercury.
Finally, in 1835 a German chemist developed the silver backed mirror that we know today. It’s this silver backing that transforms glass into a mirror.
But what or who do we see? A mirror reflects the reverse image of ourselves, right? Not quite.
It’s all about perception and what actually happens in the brain when processing an image. Initially, the brain modifies the images you see before you see them. This modification is affected by your perceptions. For example, If you perceive yourself as tall then you will see a reflection probably taller than the real you.
In this way, our perceptions allow the brain to focus on what we like or don’t like and influence what we see.
To complicate things further, mirrors that aren’t flat, may not reflect the light directly. A concave mirror, such as the Sail by Sovet Italia, reflects light inward to one focal point and can be used as an effective way to focus light.
The Sail is also available as a convex mirror. These mirrors work by reflecting parallel rays of light as if they all emanate from a single point behind the mirror. The greater the level of curvature, the smaller the distance between the actual surface of the mirror and this single point. The Sail Convex Mirror reveals a distorted image, due to progressive compression of the image away from its centre.
Used in interior design, this mirror can provide a wider field of view than is possible with flat mirrors. The reflections appear smaller and distorted relative to the objects they reflect, providing a completely different affect to the surroundings, providing yet another perspective on how we see ourselves and our surroundings.
Perhaps these mirrors are a reflection of the creative life? Gaze upon yourself in a Sail Mirror and who do you see today?
1. The Greek Version of the myth of Narcissus explains that Narcissus was once walking by a lake or river and decided to drink some water; he saw his reflection in the water and was surprised by the beauty he saw; he became entranced by the reflection of himself. He could not obtain the object of his desire though, and he died at the banks of the river or lake from his sorrow.
