Phenomenology of Perception, Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Maurice Merleau-Ponty's 'Phenomenology of Perception' opens up a conversation into how we experience the world; not as detached observers but as bodies moving through space, both shaping and being shaped by what we see. He argues against the idea that perception is just passive observation, instead arguing that it is a lived, bodily experience. The preface sets up rejection of both empiricism and intellectualism, insisting that perception can not be reduced to objective data or rational analysis; it must be understood as something that unfolds in real time through interaction and environment. I believe my own practice of developing studies into light, colour, and materiality, where perception isn't static but shifts depending on movement, position, setting, and engagement, can benefit from this text as it can help me foster a stronger understanding of the relationship between artwork and audience interaction.

A key idea in the preface is that the world is always "already there" before reflection begins. According to Merleau-Ponty, perception is not something that we construct through consciousness but something we are immersed in from the start. He critiques the tendency of traditional philosophy to separate the perceiver from the perceived, instead arguing that we are always situated within the world, experiencing it directly through our beings. This emphasis on direct engagement challenges scientific and psychological explanations of perception that attempt to analyse it from an external viewpoints. Rather than treating perception as a mechanical process that can be broken down into components, he insists that it must be understood holistically as something that emerges dynamically in real time.

Rather than being static, perception shifts and evolves as we move through space. Merleau-Ponty's discussion of embodiment highlights that vision is not just about looking. It is about interacting. The way we position ourselves, the way we move, and even the expectations we bring to a scene influence what we see. Here I see direct relations to my recent works which utilise the play between light and colour. My investigations into the Samoiloff effect, for example, considers how certain colour interactions (RGB and CMYK) reveal hidden or distorted images. By projecting RGB light onto a work of CMYK, the audience is within an immersive space, but by removing RGB light and replacing it with RGB filters, the work becomes more interactive, forcing viewers to engage physically with the work to fully experience it. As Merleau-Ponty suggests, seeing is not just receiving visual information--it is an embodied process that requires movement. These links intrigue me as I become more and more interested into the overall experience of an artwork, as well as the experience of a space.

The preface of 'Phenomenology of Perception' serves as an introduction to a philosophy that insists on the command of experience. As I continue reading through this text, I will stop at each chapter to review and reflect on what I had just read.

• Merleau-Ponty, Maurice. “Phenomenology of Perception,” 1945. https://voidnetwork.gr/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Phenomenology-of-Perception-by-Maurice-Merleau-Ponty.pdf.