![]() ![]() But when you want to make a connection, use of negative space could be an invitation for the other person to step in, and this creates a lot of positivity! Other applications of positive and negative Here too, a more ambiguous figure-ground relationship such as in a negotiation is more difficult to create and maintain than a stable, clear one such as when giving someone instructions. In workshops, I find that encouraging participants to use more negative space in conversations (a tough skill in practice, mind you!), can really help add more dimensions to a difficult situation, and thereby open opportunities for solutions. Otherwise, to borrow from another Gestalt principle, people will simplify things the way they want to understand them. The more complex a subject, the more negative space needed around it to enable your vis-à-vis to make meaning. Ever experienced a moment where an extended pause (negative space) proved more powerful than words in a conversation? Then you know what I mean. Extend this beyond the purely auditory and into the interpersonal realm. Music cannot be without silence between notes and a meaningful speech cannot be without pauses between words. In our auditory sense, as in movement, meaning can be inferred only if there is silence between sounds. Positive and negative space in conversations But it has huge upsides when you aim to influence thought. Of course, keeping the relationship between figure and ground dynamic or ambiguous in everyday work situations is more difficult as a skill (compared to keeping the relationship stable/clear) and needs practice. Connecting to the negative space also empowers you with an understanding of the energy in the room and you could either complement it or match it depending on the situation. You could use props such as tables, chairs, whiteboards or even a laser pointer to assist in this process. For example, defining your stage to be more inclusive or distant depending on the audience you are addressing, moving into negative spaces to create intimacy or impact, projecting or withdrawing your physical presence onto a room. When you consciously manage space, you are helping people around you make meaning out of your actions. In a presentation or a meeting also, we could play with the spaces to create different kinds of effects. In theatre or dance, we could play with the spaces to create different kinds of effects. The negative space is the space between people, and includes everything other than the “subjects” in the scene. That is the trajectory of your physical progress. Positive space is the space occupied by you or others, or the space you are moving into. Just as you have figure and ground in the visual medium, you have positive and negative space in movement or the kinaesthetic domain as well. At the end of the article, I would love to know what other applications you can think of! Positive and negative space in movement Escher ( ) apply this principle.īut interesting as all this is, how does this help us in management? I am putting down a few ways in which one may find applications for this principle. Sometimes, an artist may purposely keep the relationship ambiguous, so we are not sure which is the figure and which is the ground. Or do the converse if we wanted to convey noise visually. For example, if we wanted to convey loneliness, we might create a very small figure in a very vast field and give a lot of importance to enhancing the experience of the field. In the example, the relationship between figure and ground is dynamic – that is, it shifts back and forth with equal emphasis on each.īut understanding this relationship and moderating it can lead to myriad expressions. ![]() ![]() In the composition of a visual, to help the viewer create meaning, it is necessary to think as much about the positive space, which is the space occupied by the main figure or vase, as the negative space, which in this case is the white space around. The classic example is Rubin’s vase (above). All visual artists and photographers, anyone working with the visual medium knows about the principle of figure-ground relationship. Delving more into the nuances of artistic expression, I recognize that some of these ideas have always been used, if not articulated, and have immense value. As an undergraduate student of psychology, I remember being fascinated by the ideas of Gestalt psychology – principles that describe how meaning mysteriously emerges when we perceive things. ![]()
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