John Oliver Some people see faces they go. Whether it’s a backpack or a brick wall, inanimate objects suddenly come alive with googly eyes and goofy smiles. In truth, there’s a whole Twitter account committed to sharing faces in locations. Keith Larsen regularly places these types of expressions in regular things often, that the others don’t see. To illuminate his imaginative visions, he illustrates these characters and brings them alive with silly tales.
Larsen’s ability to locate inanimate objects with faces is the result of pareidolia. It’s a psychological phenomenon by which our minds create a “familiar pattern” where none exists. This is rooted in seeing animals or phantom individuals, but it could be audible, too. If you’ve heard someone claiming they hear a “hidden message” when they play backtrack, they’re describing pareidolia.
For Larsen, this phenomenon is the inspiration because of his art, and it gives ample fodder to come up with some amusing and fantastical cartoon-type creations. The door of a washing machine, for example, becomes a duck, while a fire-hydrant becomes a cyclops that are bespectacled. No matter the item, each character has a distinctive personality that’s certain to make you smile. He’s produced an Instagram account to chronicle faces in places.
