Contemporary Engineering Sciences, Vol. 7, 2014, no. 23, 1271- 1278
HIKARI Ltd, www.m-hikari.com
http://dx.doi.org/10.12988/ces.2014.49157
A Study on the Components of Visual Perception in
Media Artwork that Increasing Immersion
ChangYong Jung
Dept. of advanced image Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science
Multimedia and Film, Chung-Ang University, Korea
Hyunggi Kim
Dept. of advanced image Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science
Multimedia and Film, Chung-Ang University, Korea
Copyright © 2014 ChangYong Jung and Hyunggi Kim. This is an open access article distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This study was intended to analyze and research the expression of visual
perception theory in media art works using projection and to analyze how Gestalt
visual perception principle was applied according to the artwork case analysis. To
do so, this study explained about basic laws for visual perception in Gestalt
psychology, the branch of psychological theory of perception, and classified laws
analyzed to be most appropriate for visual contents used in the projection mapping
into 4 main categories to progress research through law of nearness, law of
similarity, law of continuity, law of closure, and examples of media artwork.
Keywords: Media Art, Immersion, Visual Perception, art Installation, visual
communication
1 Introduction
Development of digital media technology enables diversification of media
expression and new media is applied on objects or building's exterior surface as it
made much influence on art and technology. Even for media art, media artworks
1272 ChangYong Jung and Hyunggi Kim
using projector is expanding a wide range of application by emerging as a
representative expression technique using space and media and as a new visual
communication through new nonverbal elements, and art and commercial
researches are being carried out actively.
Media artworks using projector are being used as a new visual communication
and digital visual contents-based artworks are forming the majority, and spatial
and virtual expression is possible only when these visual contents are perfectly
fused with video. When a person perceives a certain object by visual perception
theory, a person is believed to perceive the overall characteristic faster than
recognizing a part of the object. This is a theory of how people understand the
object or event as a steady structure for it being most appropriate and simple when
receiving information and see objects as they please. The visual perception
principle based visual perception law will be helpful in advancing a basic theory
for media artwork using effective projection. This would act as a media that
delivers the artist's intention, and as it is accepted subjectively through
imagination of viewers, a greater synergy effect beyond a simple information
delivery can be expected and provides stronger immersion.
This study analyzed and researched the expression of visual perception theory
appeared in the contents of artwork and analyzed whether the visual perception
theory was applicable through cases of artwork that used projector. For the
analysis, this study explained about basic laws for visual perception in Gestalt
psychology, the branch of psychological theory of perception, and classified laws
analyzed to be most appropriate for media artworks used in the projection
mapping into 4 main categories to progress research through law of nearness, law
of similarity, law of continuity, law of closure, and examples of media artwork.
The purpose is to emphasize the importance of overall blending of projected
object and visual contents than elements of the direct form in the media work, and
to find elements of forming relationships(meaning, elements that create strong
sense of immersion) between visual perception theory appeared in Gestalt visual
perception theory and media artworks.
2 Visual Perception Theoretical Consideration
2.1. The concept of visual perception theory
Originally, the law of visual perception theory is used and the foundation can
be found in the field of psychological theory, and is the term that is often quoted
and used in the art field today. The Gestalt theory is expressed as the law of
Gestalt and expressed as different laws by psychologists, and of these, 6 laws are
believed to be applicable in the field of visual design. Also, many parts of the 8
laws analyzed to be appropriate for modern image field overlap with theories used
in the field of visual design. The Gestalt theory is generally about a tendency of
A study on the components of visual perception 1273
interpreting information as a particular form to remember information easily in a
process of images getting interpreted by brain through visual recognition that the
visual perception is classified with similar context, and the five main laws include
proximity, similarity, completion, continuity, and commonness. These laws
provide basic guidelines for what type of structural combination that the object
needs to make on the screen or subject.
2.2. Visual perception components
In Gestalt visual perception law, the tendency of classifying and arranging
groups into positional elements of relevant components or characteristics as one
of the principles that recognize forms is refer to as 'collectivity.' The visual
perception law signifies a tendency of categorizing elements with similar visual
elements when each unit has common features when people are perceiving the
shape or tendency of showing one or two or more visual elements near each other
into one group.
2.2.1. Law of Proximity
Figure 1. Law of Proximity
People have a tendency to group the objects visually into groups, and the law
of proximity is a principle of perceiving objects by grouping them with other
objects nearby. Also, there is a greater chance that two or more visual elements
near each other will be perceived as a pattern or group than the two elements far
away from each other.
2.2.2. Law of Similarity
Figure 2. Law of Similarity
1274 ChangYong Jung and Hyunggi Kim
People choose the simplest and most stable shape to concentrate. This law
emphasizes the importance of the most basic shapes as square, circle, and triangle.
The law of similarity gives a sense of unification as elements of similar properties,
such as similar shape, color, or texture, are perceived as a group even when they
are placed distant from each other.
2.2.3. Law of Continuation
Figure 3. Law of Continuation
When a certain shape or group is forming a series with directivity, it can
become an intrinsic characteristic of the overall shape that the arranged objects
into a straight line or soft curve appear as one unit. The human brain seeks for the
soft continuation as much as possible.
2.2.4. Law of Closure
Figure 4. Law of Closure
Unstable shape. A figure that is not perceived as a complete shape or group
based on existing knowledge appears closed or in groups psychology. Broken or
discontinuous parts are perceived to make the whole shape (circle, quadrangle).
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3 Cases of projection mapping in media artworks
3.1. Projection Mapping
Figure 5. Perspective Projection Figure 6. Optic projection
It is to create a new virtual space of reality and unreality vaguely making
harmony by projecting light on an image through projector which was designed
by considering the quality of material, color, and layout of the outer wall, interior
space, or object to be used as a screen that it is one of the visual communication
works of using optical illusion created by mapping the reality space on virtual
space. It is explained as the concept of augmented reality and the object, used as a
screen, expands virtual space as a media that expresses virtual space, and there is
no limitation in expressing the 3-dimensional space.
3.2. Technical realization of the projection mapping
Figure 7. Image correction of Projection Mapping
The projection mapping shows augmented reality based on objects with
projected 3-dimensional visual effect through video contents projected with a
projector, and the virtual space at this time can be explained as the perspective
projection technique. The 3-dimensional shapes and 3D modeling created in
virtual space are formed during the projection mapping work using 3D graphic
program then maps the desired external image, and the mapped external image
has realistic image of 2-dimensional surface formation. It is a technique of
showing the augmented reality by projecting visual contents on building, object,
