Reflection: Literal and Phenomenal

An essay for Paprika! exploring distinct qualities of reflection in our built and natural worlds, published in 2024

“Reflection: Literal and Phenomenal” responds to Paprika!’s thematic issue titled “Reflections” for Volume 10, Issue 02. Reflection is an architectural tool, a device used in the everyday to conceal unpleasant infrastructure or to expand the perception of space in narrow corridors. These reflections typically occur across silver-coated glass mirrors, however, other more nuanced ones can be read in our built environment. When reflections emerge as quickly as they vanish, in a window on a brightly lit street, or a puddle after a rainstorm, they ask us to pay attention to our surroundings. This quality of reflection is staged in objects designed for Reflections of a Room, which suspend glass from a shadow of black felt.

See related work and publication Reflections of a Room and Catalog.

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Image Credit: Abigail Chang

Editing: Tanvi Marina Rao, Claire Hungerford, Hadley Tallackson, Sharona Cramer

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