Psychedelic patterns that emerge from the Dreamachine and early computational experiments parallel Optical Art imagery of the sixties. Op Art is also referred to as “retinal art” because of the illusionary depth and motion created through the repetition of form and color. Op Art images visually exceed the two dimensional plane. This perceptual shift is the result of the way the viewer’s brain organizes information.
Op Artist Victor Vasarely used the “Alphabet Plasitque” to create optical illusions. Each color and shape was assigned a variable that could easily be manipulated. The kinetic relationship of color and shape gave dimensionality to his work. He and many other Op Artists created paradoxical imagery that challenged spatial limitations.
