OCCLUDED SOUL

2026

Everyone knows the saying "eyes are the window to the soul". This piece combines traditional painting and mechatronics. It explores the relationship between human eyes through an anatomical, metaphorical, and biomimicry perspective.

Concept

Soul searching is intimate, allowing you to see the most vulnerable and dark parts of a person. So when you cover the sensor (putting it in darkness), it opens the pupil mechanism to reveal what is underneath.

But what's in a soul that can be seen from looking into someone's eyes? Their heart? People often think that looking into another's soul will give them direct answers, but it often doesn't. Sometimes, there's more to it beyond the human eye.

I explored this in an anatomical and metaphorical sense. Behind the pupil, the viewer sees a blockage. It is situated in the lumen of the central retinal vein, which drains blood from the eye towards the heart. In a metaphorical sense, the viewer is invited to look into the soul, but there is an obstacle. With patience, it can be removed. The viewer must also pass a long, complicated pathway to enter someone's heart, both anatomically and symbolically. This often mirrors how interpersonal relationships work: it takes time and patience to navigate.

Clinical Background

This piece is inspired by two concepts:

1) How our pupils dilate and constrict in response to light. When our eyes are exposed to more light, our pupils constrict. In the opposite scenario, our pupils dilate to allow more light. In the human body, this is due to the ANS (autonomic nervous system) working with our sphincter and dilator pupillae. In a process called miosis, the sphincter pupillae contracts to shrink the pupil: this is due to our parasympathetic nervous system, which protects the retina from overexposure. Meanwhile, the dilator pupillae contracts to pull the edges of the pupil out so it expands; this is called mydriasis.

2) The eye's venous connection to the heart. This is a complicated vascular pathway, which starts from the central retinal vein (CRV), drains into the cavernous sinus, and eventually through the internal jugular vein, which then merges into the brachiocephalic vein and eventually, the superior vena cava. The clinical equivalent of the blockage is a central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), which is when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the heart.

(click on photos for direct sources)

Parallels Between Anatomy & Biomimicry

In this case, the "ANS" is an Arduino. Instead of the sphincter and dilator pupillae acting separately, they are controlled by a mechanism called a mechanical iris (in this case, a mechanical pupil). This consists of an actuating ring with gear teeth, blades, strategically placed slots, and a base ring. I treated the mechanism as a pupil because I wanted to preserve the painted iris without compromising mechanical integrity. The LDR acts as the retina (it is embedded in the lacrimal caruncle in this painting for feasibility purposes).

Eyes inspire many everyday inventions. The mechanical iris is used in camera apertures, lighting fixtures, rocket launch mounts, iris valves for powders in industrial applications, and more.

How it works

Cover LDR

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The LDR's resistance increases when ambient light decreases.

LDR (light dependent resistor) detects darkness

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When the darkness threshold is met, this is read by an Arduino

Mechanical pupil opens

Components

Acrylic on canvas, 11 x 14 in (27.9 x 35.6 cm)

LDR (Light Dependent Resistor): measures ambient lighting. It is embedded in the painting.
Arduino: the microcontroller that takes in the signal from the LDR and tells the driver gear to open the mechanism. This will stay open for 5 seconds; if the LDR is uncovered, it will revert closed again. This connected to my laptop and delivered 5V to power the entire assembly.
Mechanical Pupil: the mechanism that opens and closes. This consists of carefully placed slots, leaves, and pins that work together. It is actuated by a ring gear that meshes with the driver gear.
Driver Gear: actuates the ring gear to open the mechanical pupil. It connects with the servo gear spline.
Servo motor: high-torque MGS90 motor that directly transmits torque to the drive gear.
Servo mount: supports the motor and attaches to the canvas frame.
Breadboard: houses all the electronics.
Vein: 3D printed cone attached to the mechanical pupil's ring gear.

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