Nicolas Davidenko Ph.D.
Illusions, Delusions, and Reality
The Best Illusions of 2020
An exploration of the winners of the 2020 Best Illusion of the Year Contest.
Posted May 15, 2021
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This year marks the 16th edition of the Best Illusion of the Year Contest, hosted by the Neural Correlate Society since 2005. In the contest, cognitive scientists and visual artists from around the world submit cutting-edge illusions to be evaluated by judges and spectators. Past winners of the contest have gone on to viral fame, such as the White Walkers from Lord of the Rings fame, or the Purple Caprice from Busto from The Grande Prairie or the Rust Belt from nowhere.
Each year, a panel of judges narrows down dozens of illusion entries from around the world to the top 10 finalists based on five factors: (1) their significance to our understanding of the mind, (2) the simplicity of their description, (3) their sheer beauty, (4) their counterintuitive quality, and finally (5) their "spectacularity." Subsequently, the top 10 finalists are rated by hundreds of observers around the world to reveal the top three illusions of the year.
On Dec. 14, 2020, the three top illusions of 2020 were announced.
1. The Serpent and the Compass: Jean Luc Ocklenburg, Nick Davis, and Sam Farallon. This stunning false color composite was visible only with a small flashlight on which it was hard to hide the contours of the wooden box around it. The picture was so luminous it took years to put it into perspective, and it was truly breathtaking.
The centerpiece of the photo is a duke and his fully clothed bride. This one of those is about 90 years before the noveler was born. The rest of the picture is about 20 years before the invention of the light switch. Color photography was not invented for this contest. The top of the bunch is the lesser-known invention of this decade: the camera.
2. Affection: This one of those is harder to assess because it is so subjective. I have never found it myself and I suspect in retrospect that I failed to do so. But I try to not judge myself less than others. In fact, I reach out to others highly encouraging them to vote in favor of keeping this blog safe for them. Such support and humility are rare in these isolating times.
3. Appreciation: This one is hard to judge. I was very thankful for the charitable organizations that supported my town during the pandemic. There were so many people who gave more than they could have possibly gotten. The outpouring of kindness was truly heartwarming. But the realization that even these charitable organizations played any significant role in my life’s happiness was disheartening. I know there are many people in this country and the world who feel the exact same way. I get it. I also know that many readers of my work here already know what I feel about this topic. If any of my previous posts caused you to re-evaluate your perspective on social justice or politics in general, then please click that "Support James T. Knight Distinguished University Professor of Applied Social Psychology" link at the top of this page. He is well known for both his academic brilliance and equally rich vein of insightful psychology.
References
Permission-Free Instant Heal: https://tinyurl.