This image is from an article about Gestalt principles published on Gizmodo Why Your Brain Thinks these Dots are a Dog
This particular piece is on the principle of closure. Our brain makes sense of things through reaching comforting conclusions–we make a story that makes sense to us. In this instance, we don’t see a dog (ceci n’est pas un chien) (Who is the authority?)
Read the article, it helped me to understand myself, my perceptions and my world.
II wrote for permission to post the image here, for a class lesson on visual organizing principles of GESTALT. This dog is everything. Through the use of persuasive examples in sound and visual experience, the article convincingly explains how our perceptions respond to our need to make sense of things.
UPDATE:
Latest on the image origin: Chris Bishop, one of our illustrious librarians, has tracked down the original image in the following way:
That is a really cool image! I tracked the image using TinEye and it looks like this artist is the creator. Their work is amazing.
When I went to TinEye I
- uploaded the image
- initiated the search
- Looked at the oldest images first
- Worked through the results and then found the creator in the second to oldest result under the third link
I contacted the London-based artist, Yoni , and discoered another artist who’s practice plays on the act and art of perception. Look where he’s taken the dog in this plexiglass sculpture. The dots are “still” but because WE move (we can’t see anything without moving, it’s impossible. For example we have two eyes. This is the idea behind cubism, but that’s another story) the dog appears to be animated. Such a playful way to SHOW THINKING!
