Good looking: Suki Chan's video-art catches our eye at Tintype London

Suki Chan's films concern themselves with light, in all its shifting, shadow-casting forms. Her latest work, however, focuses on the joys that light affords – perception, vision, sight.
The three-screen video work at Tintype gallery in London hits a lot of the city's current artistic buzz words. It's immersive, interactive and interdisciplinary. But in no way is it box-ticking or generic. Funded by the Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England, the work takes us on a high-tech voyage into the human optical system.
Chan is intrigued by the quirks of perception – when playing with a camera obscura, she became fascinated with how our eyes receive images upside down, and yet the brain interprets them the correct way up. Her film reveals how visual information is modified and processed by the eye and the brain in real time, and it becomes abundantly apparent that at any given moment we actually see much less than we perceive. Viewers, if they're brave enough, have the opportunity to evaluate their own rapid eye movements during the show, thanks to cutting-edge tracking technology.
This is no kooky science experiment, however. Chan's photographic eye (as well as being scientifically engaging) is probing, relentless and abstract. Filmed largely within the University of London's Senate House (where Chan spent time during her degrees at Goldsmiths and Chelsea College of Art) we're taken into the depths of the building – the boiler rooms and book stores – in a fitting allegory of the journey into the dark corners of the human brain.
Says Chan, ‘The more I investigated perception and how the brain processes information, the more miraculous and incredible it became: how impoverished and compressed information received via our senses can yield a coherent, high resolution, detailed and multi-dimensional world.’ The impressive film takes our understanding of vision, and flips it upside down. It questions what we see, what we don't, and how our brain fills in the gaps. The resulting work is a powerful mix of artistic prowess and scientific suggestion.
Chan's films concern themselves with light, in all its shifting, shadow-casting forms. This work, however, focuses on the joys that light affords – perception, vision, sight. Watch above. Pictured: Lucida, film still, 2016
Chan is intrigued by the quirks of perception – when playing with a camera obscura, she became fascinated with how our eyes receive images upside down, and yet the brain interprets them the correct way up. Pictured: Lucida, film still, 2016
Her film reveals how visual information is modified and processed by the eye and the brain in real time, and it becomes abundantly apparent that at any given moment we actually see much less than we perceive. Pictured: Lucida, film still, 2016
Viewers, if they're brave enough, have the opportunity to evaluate their own rapid eye movements during the show, thanks to cutting-edge tracking technology. Pictured: Lucida, film still, 2016
The impressive film takes our understanding of vision, and flips it upside down. It questions what we see, what we don't, and how our brain fills in the gaps. Pictured: Lucida, film still, 2016
INFORMATION
Suki Chan's 'Lucida' runs from 16 September – 22 October 2016. For more information, visit the Tintype website
ADDRESS
Tintype
107 Essex Road
London N1 2SL
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.
-
Patek Philippe brings 15 new timepieces to Watches and Wonders 2025
The Swiss manufacturer showcases its intricate complications and elegant designs at the annual trade show with a suite of new models
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Watches & Wonders 2025: preview Richemont’s latest innovations, on show at the Geneva watch fair
Discover eight enticing timepieces from the luxury group, showcased this week at the Geneva fair
By Simon Mills Published
-
Masters of midcentury modern design and their creations spotlighted in new book
‘Mid-Century Modern Designers’ is a new book from Phaidon celebrating those who shaped the period and their notable creations, from furniture to objects
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Tom Wesselmann’s 'Up Close' and the anatomy of desire
In a new exhibition currently on show at Almine Rech in London, Tom Wesselmann challenges the limits of figurative painting
By Sam Moore Published
-
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next year
Tate’s 2026 programme includes 'Frida: The Making of an Icon', which will trace the professional and personal life of countercultural figurehead Frida Kahlo
By Anna Solomon Published
-
A portrait of the artist: Sotheby’s puts Grayson Perry in the spotlight
For more than a decade, photographer Richard Ansett has made Grayson Perry his muse. Now Sotheby’s is staging a selling exhibition of their work
By Hannah Silver Published
-
From counter-culture to Northern Soul, these photos chart an intimate history of working-class Britain
‘After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024’ is at Edinburgh gallery Stills
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Celia Paul's colony of ghostly apparitions haunts Victoria Miro
Eerie and elegiac new London exhibition ‘Celia Paul: Colony of Ghosts’ is on show at Victoria Miro until 17 April
By Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou Published
-
Teresa Pągowska's dreamy interpretations of the female form are in London for the first time
‘Shadow Self’ in Thaddaeus Ropac’s 18th-century townhouse gallery in London, presents the first UK solo exhibition of Pągowska’s work
By Sofia Hallström Published
-
Sylvie Fleury's work in dialogue with Matisse makes for a provocative exploration of the female form
'Drawing on Matisse, An Exhibition by Sylvie Fleury’ is on show until 2 May at Luxembourg + Co
By Hannah Silver Published
-
What to see at BFI Flare film festival, 'a rich tapestry of queer experience'
As one of the only film festivals to explicitly profile LGBTQI+ cinema, BFI Flare Film Festival remains a unique and beloved event. Here's what to see as it makes its return to London from 19 - 30 March
By Billie Walker Published