The Pleasure of Recognition

The Pleasure of Recognition, a large boulder cut to hold an information panel, typical of the kind often found in zoos or nature based tourist attractions. In place of an explanatory text the rock offers a mirror that reflects the viewer’s own image.

The title refers to a psychological term developed by Sigmund Freud, who argued that humans experience pleasure when they are familiar with what they encounter.

“A man sets out to draw the world. As the years go by, he peoples a space with images of provinces, kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fishes, rooms, instruments, stars, horses, and individuals. A short time before he dies, he discovers that the patient labyrinth of lines traces the lineaments of his own face.” – Jorge Luis Borges, The Aleph and Other Stories.