The Pleasure of Recognition —
2011
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.
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Produced for: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum at IKON Gallery (Birmingham, UK) and Spike Island (Bristol, UK), 2011
Installed at: Felix Art & Ecology, Drogenbos, BE
“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