Synkroniciti is excited to reveal the brilliant new cover for the upcoming “Family” issue, Kelly DuMar’s “Family,” a marvelous photo of a natural ice formation which evokes human figures. Kelly’s artwork is stunning with its intense colors: deep blue, bright gold, stark white. The psychological power of the photo lies chiefly in its use of pareidolia, the human ability to perceive specific, meaningful images from random and ambiguous visual patterns. If you’ve ever gazed at the clouds overhead and seen rabbits, dogs, dragons, people or anything that isn’t actually there and felt delight, you have enjoyed pareidolia. It’s related to synchronicity, the perception of meaning in random, unrelated experiences, and thus Kelly’s image lies in line with our Jungian leanings.
Three figures seem to be interacting here–two with their arms up and one with arms down (and a square head). They look like a family playing, or maybe fighting. This image is recognizable, and yet abstract enough that it does not dictate gender, race, relationship or any social parameters the way that a representational image would. When you add to this the nature of water–reflective, deep–you get connotations of the subconscious. Our image of family is formed by our own experience and by how our culture views family, just like the shadings and reflections in this image. You will see the family you expect to see and your mind may impose an interpretation that is not in the natural pattern.
“Family” won’t be the only image by Kelly included in the “Family” issue, Vol. 6, No.1, which debuts March 1st. Congratulations, Kelly! Pre-order links will appear soon at https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Kelly DuMar is a poet, playwright and workshop facilitator from Boston. She’s author of four poetry collections, including jinx and heavenly calling, published by Lily Poetry Review Books in March 2023. Her poems and images are published in Bellevue Literary Review, Tupelo Quarterly, Thrush, Glassworks, Flock and more, and her images have been featured on the cover of About Place and Young Ravens Literary Review. Kelly teaches a variety of creative writing workshops, in person and online, and she teaches Play Labs for the International Women’s Writing Guild and the Transformative Language Arts Network. Kelly produces the Featured Open Mic for the Journal of Expressive Writing. Her home is the rural Charles River where she walks and captures images of the wetlands in all weather. Reach her at kellydumar.com.