Eye of the Beholder
September 2, 2008 by Nichelle (admin)
Filed under Blog, For Fun
Which way is this dancer spinning?
If you said en dehors (I’m not forgetting my audience, here), you’d be right no matter what. However, the question is, is this dancer spinning clockwise or counterclockwise? Are you sure?
This image is one of many fun optical illusions circulating on the internet. Many claim that your brain hemisphere dominance (right or left-brained) is determined by the direction you see the dancer turning. I doubt the truth in this, however, it is a fun visual exercise.
What you mean? I can only see her spinning in one direction!
The above silhouette has no indicating lines on the body (as most images do) to tell the viewer which leg is in front of or behind the other. Therefore, the dancer can be seen moving either counterclockwise or clockwise, depending on the eye of the beholder. For instance, look at these two images which do have indicator lines (note: the L and R indicate the standing leg, not the direction of the turn). Do you see the difference?
Now look back at the first image. Has it changed? Actually looking away from the image is what helped me to eventually see the dancer turning in the opposite direction. Once I was able to see the image from both perspectives it was easier to switch back and forth between the two. Interestingly, the first time I ever viewed this image, I recall seeing the dancer moving counterclockwise. However, having returned to the image to write this post, I initially saw the dancer moving clockwise. I don’t know what that says about my brain, perhaps it says more about my state of mind, or the tiredness of my eyes, or something else entirely!
For more optical illusions like this one, visit this page.
What about you? Which direction does the image spin for you? Were you able to see it go the other direction?
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Nichelle Strzepek is the writer/editor of Dance Advantage. Equipped with little more than passion for movement education, she embraced her inner computer nerd and began this blog in 2008. She holds a BA in dance and is an instructor with over 16 years experience. Nichelle continues to perform as a contemporary dance artist, covers dance in the Houston area as a freelance writer and critic, and balances daily life as a full-time mom.
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I’ve seen this before and at first I couldn’t decide either. But then I’d stared at it long enough to determine that it’s actually switching direction during the process. Yes, I see what indicator lines can do to improve the silhouette, but I’ve done the staring this time too, and I clearly see a point where the direction of the spinning changes quickly. Quickly enough that the average person doesn’t see the switch. But that’s just how I see it.
Very cool!
Yes I could see both directions, but only after scrolling down to the second images, I saw it as a counter clockwise spin at first!
Well, I thought I had it licked with the shadows on the bottom — very cool illusion. I’d have sworn she was spinning clockwise.
Interesting, ladybean, that you see it switching. Most I think see it spinning one direction or the other at first. I wonder how many others see it as you do?
Here is another link that discusses how the visual system “resolves ambiguity” in images: http://www.cs.ubc.ca/nest/imager/contributions/flinn/Illusions/NC/nc.html#discussion