---
what does it take to recognize oneself in a mirror?
humans are among the few animals who can recognize
themselves in mirrors, along with a few other apes
(chimps, orangutans, bonobos), and perhaps dolphins and
elephants.
the ‘mirror stage’ when children first recognize themselves
is widely understood as a critical phase of human development.

there is an interestig recent sociological experiment -
the biami, an isolated papua new guinea tribe,
had never seen a mirror until the mid-1970s.
(although a few biami men had scraps of mirrors,
about the size of coins, obtained through distant trade,
but these scraps were too small for image reflection
and were treasured simply as light reflectors).
anthropologists recorded their reactions when looking
for the first tme into a mirror:
reactions of terror and anguish, they were paralyzed.
after their first startled response,
covering their mouths and ducking their heads,
they stood transfixed, staring at their images,
only their stomach muscles betraying great tension...

---
magical mirrors
mystic people all over the world stare into reflective objects
- mirrors, oil, water, crystal balls, knives ...-
and go into a sort of trance.
this was already practiced by olmec shamans,
greek priestesses, roman magicians, and medieval wizards.

it is a common superstition that someone who breaks a
mirror will receive seven years of bad luck.
the ancient egyptians, as well as the etruscans, romans,
and many other cultures, buried people with mirrors,
probably because these magical surfaces were thought
to capture the soul and help preserve it in the afterlife.
similarly, the chinese thought that demons only became
visible in mirrors, so they put them on their backs to
defend themselves from malevolent forces.

---
mirrors-in-mirrors
when two mirrors reflect one other, the endless abyss
of mirrors-in-mirrors created between them might form
a kind of spectral architecture.
jules verne had an idea about using mirrors for space travel,
where the infinite reflection travels an infinite distance in
negligible time. this was derived from a story by edgar allen
poe involving a man trapped between two mirrors by the
infinite distance between himself and his reflections.

--
mirror and sex
do it in the dark!
but not always...

have fun with mirrors!
you might get more secure with your body,
and if you feel uninhibited with your partner,
having sex in front of a mirror or two can be very exciting
for both of you. with mirrors you can change positions and
angles, if what you see is not turning you on.
it's easy to move around to find an attractive view.





---
see page 3

anamorphic art mirrors

---
back to page 1

myths, history and typologies





















---
design-aerobics courses
this is an example of a design-aerobics lesson
taken from the sex course - part of our 'human needs cycle'.

design-aerobics are 'design education online courses'.
ideated and managed by the designboom team.
find out how the courses work here