Perception of Visual Space

Duration: 1 hour 12 mins

Share this media item:

Embed this media item:

<iframe width="_width_" height="_height_" src="https://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/2937737/embed" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Choose size:

About this item

Available Formats

About this item

Description:	Darwin College Lecture Series 2019 – Vision "Perception of Visual Space" Professor Sir Colin Blakemore

Created:

2019-03-14 12:07

Collection:

Vision – Darwin College Lecture Series 2019

Publisher:

University of Cambridge

Darwin College

Language:

eng (English)

Credits:

Author:

Colin Blakemore


Abstract:	The image in your eye, like a photograph or a precise figurative painting, is a two-dimensional projection of the world. But detecting the third dimension of that world is important for understanding the shapes of objects, as well as the distances of everything around us. Our forward-pointing eyes give us the luxury of binocular stereoscopic vision, but if you close one eye, you can still perceive distance on the basis of information in a single image, particularly from linear perspective. How do our brains interpret perspective and integrate it with stereo vision? In this lecture, as in the history of this field, science is interwoven with the story of art and architecture. Sir Colin Blakemore is Professor of Neuroscience & Philosophy in the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience at Oxford. From 2003-7 he was Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council. His research has focused on many aspects of vision, development and plasticity of the brain. He has been President of the British Science Association, the British Neuroscience Association, the Physiological Society and the Royal Society of Biology. He is strongly committed to engagement between science and the public. He is a frequent broadcaster and he writes for the national and international press.

Abstract:

The image in your eye, like a photograph or a precise figurative painting, is a two-dimensional projection of the world. But detecting the third dimension of that world is important for understanding the shapes of objects, as well as the distances of everything around us. Our forward-pointing eyes give us the luxury of binocular stereoscopic vision, but if you close one eye, you can still perceive distance on the basis of information in a single image, particularly from linear perspective. How do our brains interpret perspective and integrate it with stereo vision? In this lecture, as in the history of this field, science is interwoven with the story of art and architecture.

Sir Colin Blakemore is Professor of Neuroscience & Philosophy in the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience at Oxford. From 2003-7 he was Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council. His research has focused on many aspects of vision, development and plasticity of the brain. He has been President of the British Science Association, the British Neuroscience Association, the Physiological Society and the Royal Society of Biology. He is strongly committed to engagement between science and the public. He is a frequent broadcaster and he writes for the national and international press.

Available Formats

Format	Quality	Bitrate	Size
MPEG-4 Video	1280x720	3.01 Mbits/sec	1.59 GB	View
MPEG-4 Video	640x360	1.94 Mbits/sec	1.03 GB	View
WebM	1280x720	2.75 Mbits/sec	1.45 GB	View
WebM	640x360	674.58 kbits/sec	355.74 MB	View
iPod Video	480x270	523.03 kbits/sec	275.82 MB	View
MP3	44100 Hz	251.84 kbits/sec	132.81 MB	Listen
Auto *	(Allows browser to choose a format it supports)