meaning

My partner, Alice, and I viewed the “Dancing girl” at the same time. I perceived the dancer turning to the right. She perceived the dancer turning to the left. When I thought the dancer’s back was pointed to us, Alice thought the opposite. I mentioned that I must be right since the shadow of the leg followed in a clockwise motion, the dancer pivoted on her left leg, and the left side of her body moved proportional to a clockwise motion. I thought any other interpretation would break the physical laws of the universe. Well, it must have been the physical laws of my universe since; Alice had a totally different perception. Who was right? She is a left brainer, that is factual, et cetera, and I am a right brainer, that is philosophical, et cetera. If there is, as Derrida put it, “nothing outside of the picture,” then how is the movement of the animated picture different to each viewer? The representation of the image relative to the viewer’s paradigm constructs what is in the picture or how it is moving. The conceptual, visual stimulation is contrarily metamorphosed when there are multiple discourses in one event.

Our discussion about "multi-stable" pictures in class today reminded me of this interesting and fun email I received over winter break. Maybe all of you have seen it before, but I practically live on the internet and I hadn't seen it, so maybe a few of you will find it new. Either way, I still think it's appropriate to consider.

The email (usually titled "Your Brain" or "Right Brain vs. Left Brain") includes this image below:

Dancing Girl: Which way is she spinning... to YOU?

Dancing Girl
And says:

"Do you see the dancer turning clockwise or counter-clockwise? If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa. Most of us would see the dancer turning counter-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it."

Then it lists characteristics that go with left and right brain functions, which supposedly apply to you if you are seeing the dancer turn clockwise or counter clockwise.  read more »