Gate or beach? The image that created controversy on the Internet

On the Internet, we are constantly fascinated by mysteries, especially those that tend to divide the public. One of the biggest examples of this phenomenon was the one that happened in 2015, when a dress generated a controversy almost as big as the political left and right, such as a match between America and Chivas. And one such challenge, which also hit the web in 2018, revolves around the following image:

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While the brains of some process a door (blue, with a green frame and a white wall), the thinking organ of others processes the photograph of a beach in vertical format. Reactions have been swift on social media, but what is the photograph really about? According to an article published by the British division of the BBC, the image is of a beach that was digitally altered to remove the presence of some bathers.

Not convinced? Well, you’re not alone. Some specialists in digital retouching, after testing the existing versions of the file in Photoshop, came to the conclusion that, in reality, the alteration to the image was done to insert people, simulating a coastline. Then, the photograph would correspond to a door.

For now, the mystery continues. While a final verdict is reached on the authenticity of the graphic, here’s a brief rundown of some images that went viral on the internet and other truly incredible optical illusions.

Controversy underwater.

Does the following photograph show a little girl in a full pool or on a surface of flushy water? In the same year that the dress controversy appeared, a user of the Imgur platform published this image that received the visit of more than two million people.

As is often the case with these topics, the debate ended on one of the largest forums on the web, Reddit, where most users concluded that the little girl was underwater. In The Independent they offered a logical explanation: “overexposure or an added digital filter makes the lighting appear underwater. But, it’s really not like that.” If the photograph is analyzed taking into account certain physical parameters we discover the reality, first of all we have that his hair is dry and his ponytail does not float, in addition to the fact that the “bubbles” are nothing more than drops of water.

Ambiguous cylinders.

And another creation. You’re Not Going Crazy, what you just saw was named Illusion of Ambiguous Cylinders, a work that stood out as the illusion of the year in 2016 according to the Neural Correlate Society.

The author is the Japanese Kokichi Sugihara, a professor at Meji University who, at 70 years old, is listed as a great illusionist, quite famous on the Internet for his works. In this case, he resorted to what he calls ambiguous cylinders: objects that are between a circle and a square, according to the professor.

If we look closely at the movement of the object, we can see its true shape with wavy upper edges. Depending on the angle of the observer, the brain tends to “correct” the image to a way that is already known, i.e. easier to process and pleasing to the eyes.

A deception in the third dimension.

If you’re still doubting that Sugihara is the supreme master of illusions, check out this video.

The third dimension is not exempt from optical illusions and, to be honest, they are much more impressive. Through mathematics, Sugihara constructed, without resorting to magnets or invisible threads, objects that end up defying visual perception.

Constructed specifically to provide a false sense of depth or two-dimensionality, these works by the Japanese professor can only be appreciated from a certain angle. That’s why, even when viewed differently, the logic of objects takes time to be processed by the brain.

It’s all a matter of perspective, like life itself.