observance vs looking at

observance and looking at both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
observance	Yes	No	No	No
looking at	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, looking at is a hypernym of observance; that is, looking at is a word with a broader meaning than observance:

observance: the act of observing; taking a patient look
looking at: the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually; look

Other hypernyms of observance include look, looking.

observance (noun)	looking at (noun)
the act of observing; taking a patient look	the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually; look
conformity with law or custom or practice etc.
the act of noticing or paying attention
a formal event performed on a special occasion