Friday, November 30, 2012

Creative or Logical?


The Spinning Dancer, also known as the silhouette illusion
         This 2-D, rotating image was designed by the Japanese web designer Nobuyuki Kayahara in 2003. Thought at first to be a test of right or left brain dominance in the psychology world; that if you see the lady spinning counter-clockwise then you are more of a left-brained person, that is logical. Or if you see her spinning clockwise then you are right-brain dominant and more creative (artistic). And, if you can see her spin both directions then your have pure genius. However, this theory of left vs right brain dominance in the scientific world is nonsense. Just as the subconscious works together with the conscious, the left hemisphere of the brain works together with the right hemisphere. They are buddies. The Silhouette Illusion is a very creative piece of art work, though not a brain test as previously thought. Instead, this entertaining discussion piece is simply an optical illusion called a reversible, or ambiguous image. These types of images are scientifically studied to learn more about how vision works.  
         “What’s happening here to cause the flip is something happening entirely within the visual system,” said Thomas C. Toppino, chair of the department of psychology at Villanova University. “If we can understand why it is these figures reverse then we’re in a position to understand something pretty fundamental to how the visual system contributes to the conscious experience.”
         I stick to my guns, believing that everyone is an artist, or holds the capacity to be one if they merely reflect on their possibilities or the world around them. So don't believe for one second that if you see this lady only spinning left that you are not creative. You are. Everyone is. But, can you see her spinning both directions?...it's fun, give it a try. 

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