The Thatcher Effect Year
Pigma ink on paper, 10″ H x 8″ W
This piece was inspired by and took its name from a psychology experiment called the Thatcher Effect. The illusion seeks to demonstrate how the brain tries to process information as normal even when it knows something is wrong when it sees portions of a face upside down in relationship to the rest. In this work, I’m questioning how beauty is determined. With so many people getting plastic surgery, wearing excessive makeup, getting hair extensions and implants to be “beautiful” and “perfect,” is it really working? Or is it the Thatcher Effect where society says it’s the ideal, yet really knows it’s all fake.
Lucy Stefanko 