 The Brain / Museum / Illusions / Sensitive Brain / Enigma |
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Stare at the center of the figure for a few seconds. Do you see any strange effects? Eye movements may be responsible, but the real reason is not fully understood. People see different effects - the striped rings glimmer, they begin to rotate… What do you see? The original Enigma was a work of art drawn by a French artist, Isia Leviant, in 1981. Brain imaging research has found that while we are looking at a picture, the area of the brain responsible for identifying movement goes to work on it. This finding led researchers to believe that the brain is the key to understanding this illusion. There were other explanations as well - minute movements of the eye, for example, or adaptation by the eye's lens. The lack of agreement led to a number of experiments in which every researcher gave new evidence for his or her point of view. Alongside perceptual experiments, scientists made use of computerized imaging to replicate areas of the brain responsible for vision. These activities inspired the artist, Isia Leviant, to write an article on the subject for a scientific journal relating insights he had during the creative process. He also suggested his own explanation for the illusion. Related exhibit: Link:
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Enigma
