Pareidolia
We like to consider our projects works of art, especially when it comes to selecting and perfecting the surface (or face) of the backlit project. There are truly endless arrays of translucent surfaces that we can implement into our backlit systems, and each will “speak” differently to every client. No one has the same interpretation.
And when it comes to the natural stone used in our backlit Dura-Lite™ panels, that sentiment certainly rings true. Sometimes the more you look at a particular slab of onyx, the more it will express and reveal. You might even start to see familiar forms, shapes, and silhouettes emerging from the sweeping colors and swirls of Mother Nature’s creations. Like finding animals in clouds or seeing the man in the moon, that same phenomenon of pareidolia – where you’re mind convinces you that there is a recognizable and significant shape or form in an unrelated stimuli – takes place when looking at natural stone.
Below are a few of our favorite examples of pareidolia in the natural stones we work with. See if you can spot the forms, too!
Can you see the pink flamingo in the swirls of this slab honey-colored onyx?
Or what about the dancing girl hiding in the undulating colors of this exotic green onyx panel?
And there is a screaming monkey in this rare onyx variety. See if you can spot him (this one is hard to miss!).
So is it Mother Nature planting surreptitious messages into her stunning works of art, or is it just a simple case of trompe l’oeil? Whatever the cause, we love how onyx always seems to speak to us – even if the message is only a screaming monkey.
What other forms can you find hiding in these onyx slabs?