The Frequency Illusion

Artist Vaevae Chan installed a cave in her studio that represents how she copes with personal trauma—and she has opened it up to the public

By Aaina Bhargava.

There’s a tendency, after we see or hear something that resonates with us, to keep noticing it everywhere, all the time. This is known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or frequency illusion, and it is something local artist Vaevae Chan has been experiencing since 2018, after a friend messaged her asking what emoji best represented her. “I immediately sent him the blue spiral emoji,” Chan says, recalling her intuitive response. “He asked me why, and I didn’t have an answer: it was just something I gravitated towards.” From then on, she started seeing spirals everywhere—from naturally occurring patterns in nature to designed emblems. This led her to start an Instagram account dedicated to posting photos of the symbol when she came across it; and as people found the account, they would…

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Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 2023

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