Symmetry at Work

At work (an optical) today I could not stop noticing all of the symmetry that was around me, from the glasses on display to the intricate details carved into the wooden door. From there I decided that I was going to find examples of each example of symmetry at work: asymmetrical, bilateral symmetrical, and radial symmetrical. This made work a whole lot more interesting!

1. Asymmetrical

I was struggling to find an asymmetrical pattern throughout my shift and it finally caught my eye when I was on my way to put the daily packages in the mail at the end of the day. While I was walking to the mailbox I noticed all of the leaves that were swirling in the air and then they led me to their very own asymmetrical artwork in the middle of the parking lot. In this photo, the leaves create a sort of ying-yang of parking lot and leaves, but it is not exactly symmetrical but the photo feels totally balanced with a large number of leaves one one side and a lack thereof on the other. 

2. Bilateral Symmetry

While I was doing inventory and categorizing the glasses that we sell in the optical I noticed how symmetrical the whole room was. Each display board (all the same size) is separated by a mirror (all the same size) that separate the women's frames from the men's frames from the kid's frames. The mirror also helps to create bilateral symmetry by showing how even the light fixtures from above are symmetrically spaced from one another. I promise, I did not take this to be a "selfie", it was the only way I could take the photo to show the symmetry :)


3. Radial Symmetry

This design comes from the our main entry door at work. Multiple radial patterns similar to this one cover the door creating a hypnotizing design. I really appreciated the detail that the artist put into making this shape have a radial symmetry. It helps to draw the eye in closer and closer to understand the time and effort that was spent into creating this intricate, detailed piece of artwork.