'The Window Metaphor'

A text I had written during my previous studies.

The 'window metaphor' offers a layered approach to understanding visual perception. It posits that the way we see and interpret the world is not objective but rather filtered through various external and internal forces. These forces, or 'windows', act as frames that shape and distort our perception, influenced by culture, emotions, religion, and personal experiences. The metaphor reveals that our engagement with reality is mediated by these unseen filters, suggesting that what we perceive is never purely neutral or unaltered.

In this sense, perception becomes a dynamic process—a constantly evolving negotiation between the individual and their environment. Just as a literal window frames a particular view, cultural and emotional 'windows' frame our understanding of the world. For example, a person raised in a collectivist culture may view individual success differently from someone in a more individualistic society. These cultural windows shape not just our perception of achievement but our entire engagement with life's experiences. Similarly, religious beliefs act as windows, filtering how individual interpret events and actions based on moral or spiritual frameworks.

Just as different windows frame our perception of reality—shaped by culture, emotion, or belief systems—people construct façades to obscure their true intentions or feelings. In Rudy Francisco's poem 'Monster', the concept of 'a wolf in sheep's clothing' is an example of how individuals can manipulate perception, much like how windows distort or clarify what we see. The poem critiques how these hidden evils can surface, often unexpectedly, revealing the complex layers of identity and morality that lie beneath the surface of human behaviour. In linking this to the window metaphor, the poem suggests that even when people appear calm or benign, the forces shaping their perception and actions may be much darker or more menacing than they seem.

Thus, Rudy Francisco's 'Monster' and the window metaphor both explore how perception can be manipulated and how the realities of human nature are often concealed behind socially constructed filters, challenging us to question the authenticity of what we see and the intentions behind outward appearances.

The framework of the window metaphor in this art installation offesr visualisation of the duality of the human condition. Inspired by Olafur Eliasson's work 'Seu corpo da obra', the hanging installation forces the viewer to walk around and experience the artwork through different perspectives, physically embodying the idea that perception is shaped by filters through which we view the world. As viewers move through the space, looking through coloured filters that alter their visual experience, they are reminded that perception is not static but constantly changing based on context and vantage point. This interactive aspect compels the audience to the ever-shifting boundaries between external reality and internal interpretation. By navigating these layers of perception, the installation evokes a deeper reflection on how the forces shaping human understanding—whether cultural, emotional, or psychological—can both obscure and reveal the truth.