Spinning Silhouette
This spinning silhouette optical illusion is pretty funky. Check it out first, then come back. I’ll wait.
…
For me, she spun clockwise first. I wonder if this depends on a person’s handedness. I tried really hard to get her to change directions by convincing myself that the outstretched arm was her left. I couldn’t get my mind to make the flip that way. She stubbornly insisted on spinning clockwise.
I changed her direction by staring at the shadow of her foot. I have to really focus on the shadow without allowing my peripheral awareness to see the black silhouette. All of a sudden, she’s spinning the opposite direction!
Her apparent direction of spin has some persistence. I can look away for about five seconds and she’s still spinning counter-clockwise when I look back. Too much longer and she goes back to clockwise rotation.
Sometimes her movement stutters back and forth as my mind struggles to reconcile her ambiguity.
Fun.
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C. L. Hanson
said,
July 14, 2007 @ 6:12 am
I saw her spinnning clockwise first too. That’s an amazing illusion — I wonder how it works…
Floating in the Milk
said,
July 14, 2007 @ 9:45 am
I see her going counterclockwise (I’m left handed). I spent a few minutes looking and couldn’t get it turn around. I showed it to my right handed daughter and she saw clockwise, then was able to see it the other way. I also showed it my right handed son - he favors his left in everything else and has terrible handwriting. He was counterclockwise, and was also able to see the other direction. That’s really cool.
Jonathan Blake
said,
July 15, 2007 @ 7:23 am
Interesting. We should collect more data points. I’m a righty for the record.
C. L. Hanson
said,
July 16, 2007 @ 6:04 am
I’m right-handed too.