Well, whether it's in architecture or someone's lunch, many enjoy the comfort of a symmetrical image. As long as everything matches up, everything somehow feels right with the world.
In a place full of rush and chaos, it's not surprising we're searching for something still and, well, perfect. After all, even a tower block that once seemed drab and ugly, can, if photographed in the right way, be transformed into a marvel for the eyes.
#5 Watching “Big” At A Hotel, And Josh’s Mom Is Talking To The Microwave
“Spending time looking at [such images] can be therapeutic,” Dave Mullen, the Sheffield-based founder of the popular Instagram account Geometry Club, said. His inspiration for it came on a holiday in New York.
“I began taking photos of the architecture and found myself looking for patterns and symmetry in it,” he recalled. “Before long, I suddenly had 10 or 15 of these triangular compositions, all shot from the same angle, and I thought: these would look really good together online."
#6 I Thought I Lost My Wedding Ring On A Road Trip. I Called Gas Stations, Pawn Shops, Searched Lost And Found Post. I Gave Up And Then Found It Under My Husband's Deodorant
But our fascination with soothing fits isn't something new. There has always been aesthetic delight taken in symmetry.
In the 20th Century, for example, numerous abstract artists adopted it. Like Sol LeWitt and Josef Albers from the US or Robyn Denny from the UK. As did Aleksandr Rodchekno, some of whose photos of Moscow’s buildings after the Revolution wouldn't look out of place on Geometry Club even now.
#12 My Wife Did The Toblerone Thing At The Matterhorn Today. Couldn’t Have Asked For A Better Weather
#13 We’ve Been Needing A Little Countertop For The Space Between The Fridge And The Stove And I Got This One Today By Eyeballing It And Hoping It Will Fit When I Got It Home
But long before these four, there were generations of Islamic artists, who thought symmetry reflected the harmony of heaven – and whose work duly aimed to bring artist and viewer closer to God.
Mosques the world over from Mecca to Manchester all bear a homage to the tradition of geometric patterns, with one of the most famous being the stucco and tile work inside the Alhambra palace in Granada.
American scientist Alan Lightman thinks that human brains are actually programmed to see things symmetrically.
“The reason must be partly psychological," he said. "Symmetry represents order, and we crave order in this strange universe we find ourselves in... [It] helps us make sense of the world around us".
#18 I've Been Informed That My Little Cozy Little Couch Corner Would Make A Good Fit
#20 I Didn't Properly Measure This 150" Screen's Dimensions Before Buying It, Just Estimated The Width By Walking Heel To Toe Across The Room
