MODULE: Gestalt theory

Step 04 of 16: Multistability

Multistability refers to the phenomenon that an image can have two states of being in the mind, even though the image is physically only a single state on paper/screen. For example the image below is what the human mind might contruct as a three dimensional cube, while this is impressive in its own right, multistability is concerned instead with the fact that this image can be interchangeably seen in two ways;

• Either the square face at the bottom-left is the closest/forward face the user can touch/see, or
• the sqaure face at the top-right is the closest/forward face instead.

And interestingly we are able to swap between the two perspectives at will. Meaning this image exists in multiple states at once. This ability is not constrained to just three-dimensional wireframes either. There are other occassions, such as in silhouettes, where in the dark outline we see one object and in the stark relief we can see a different object altogether in the light. This has to do with contrast and we will encounter a good example of this when dicussing the Gestalt Law of Figure/ground.