The Answer to the Avatar Mystery.

[RandFan]

I had originaly created the graphic to demonstrate Gestalt (http://chd.gse.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/strategies/cognitivism/gestalt/gestalt.htm), the German word for "form," (in a word, sprechen ze deutch) and as it applied in gestalt psychology it means "unified whole" or " configuration."

Ge·stalt ( P ) Pronunciation Key (g-shtält)

A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.

I had said that if you answer the question of why it looks like a shamrock you would have your answer. Gestalt theory explains in part how humans are able to percieve objects composed of unconected and disparate items or elements.

In any event, human capability of pattern recognition is quite beyond our current understanding and far beyond any computer's ability (at least at this time).

Gestalt theory first arose in 1890 as a reaction to the prevalent psychological theory of the time - atomism. Atomism examined parts of things with the idea that these parts could then be put back together to make wholes. Atomists believed the nature of things to be absolute and not dependent on context. Gestalt theorists, on the other hand, were intrigued by the way our mind perceives wholes out of incomplete elements [1, 2]. "To the Gestaltists, things are affected by where they are and by what surrounds them...so that things are better described as "more than the sum of their parts."" [1, p. 49]. Gestaltists believed that context was very important in perception. An essay by Christian von Ehrenfels discussed this belief using a musical example. Take a 12 note melody. Play it in one key, say the key of C. Now change to another key, say the key of A flat. There might not be any notes the same in the two songs, yet a person listening to it knows that it is the same tune. It is the relationships between the notes that give us the tune, the whole, not which notes make up the tune.Principles:

Figure and Ground (http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/gestalt/figround.htm)

Similarity, Proximity or Contiguity, Continuity (http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/gestalt/similar.htm)

Closure, Area, Symmetry (http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/gestalt/closure.htm)

RandFan.

[Yahweh]

I find it much easier to stick to avatars of pagan design. Mine is very pretty.

[tamiO]

Did I sort of win?

Is there a pRiZe???

[RandFan]

Originally posted by tamiO
Did I sort of win? Yes!

Is there a pRiZe??? Decorum prevents me from adequetly responding. I'll just say that for you I will come up with something. ;)

[sorgoth]

Hmm....makes sense. (I just read the Gestalt stuff on the site).

Something is more than the sum of it's parts...

[Yahweh]

You win a dream date to spend the day BY YOURSELF! You can lounge around BY YOURSELF! You can have lunch BY YOURSELF! Hey, if you play your cards right you and yourself might just sneak in a little kinky softcore internet... nah I better not go there...

[Blue Monk]

Interesting subject.

When I was an art major I learned a Gestalt method of figure sketching. In exercises we would stand to one side where we could not actually see what we were drawing on our canvases and then we'd have to 'sketch' the subject in about 10 seconds.

The whole point was to disconnect from the actual geometry as much as possible. You wouldn't consciously draw a circle for the head, etc. but rather simply make broad fluid strokes that would simply hint at what you were seeing.

Of course, what you ended up with looked like a jumbled mess but when you then went to sketch in earnest over this almost subconscious 'feeling' you had laid down it had an almost magical effect My figures became less stiff and static and started being more fluid with a much deeper sense of weight and substance with a far more natural look.

Musicians I believe instinctively understand this even better. Nothing will suck the life out of an improvised solo worse than getting to bogged down with the mechanics. You are far more creative when you can disassociate yourself from 'rules' and think more in terms of mood and color.

This small lesson I learned many years ago has helped me in many areas one would not think it would apply. When I worked in the accounting department for the County many years ago I used this outlook to great advantage when it came to problem solving. I would resist the traditional microscope, line by line approach or even the management 'big picture' approach. Instead I would always try to do a quick review of the problem and intentionally try not to look for solutions as I did. What I wanted to do was to simply get a feel for how things currently existed but only a 'feel', not specifics.

Then when I got ready to get down to work I'd let my intuition take over and lead me to where I should begin. Just like when drawing and those squiggly lines would start to take a natural form, I would start getting more specifically into the problem and invariably focus quite quickly on the key areas of concern.

As I said, I learned this as an art exercise and do not pretend that this is an accurate representation of Gestalt as a psychological theory but even as a art exercise it has given me a very beneficial insight into many other areas of my life.

[RandFan,Jr.]

Originally posted by Yahweh
I find it much easier to stick to avatars of pagan design. Mine is very pretty.
I really like it, it would be better upside down.