Distorted Optics: The Convex Mirror as a Landscape of Play

The iconography of convex mirror and its allegorical significance had changed over time. This paper investigates the convex mirror as an architectural object and takes it under scrutiny by looking at its historical roots, as mirrors were initi ally curved and spherical rather than flat. Throughout the course of history convex mirror had various positions; the domestic object with an unholy noti on, the sacred omni-present of god and the neutral security tool. Here the theory of play is utilized to narrate this shift looking at the playful mirror revolving around key moments in history. The convex mirror refuses the linear law of optics, troubles the mind by its inherent ambiguity and constructs a landscape of play. The scope of convex mirror changes from domestic to urban, the role alternates from the detestable mirror to the space-shift er, and the eye of god expands towards the prosthetic human eye.

Volume Editors
Jasmine Benyamin, Kyle Reynolds, Mo Zell, Nikole Bouchard & Whitney Moon

ISBN
978-1-944214-28-9