New York City streets are filled with many things, from green bottle caps left by a person who didn’t screw it on their beverage very well, to old flavorless gum spat from the mouth of a person, to different dried stains and spills left by coffee, water, juice, sodas, and even gross liquid leaking out trash bags sitting on the streets waiting to be hurled into the back of garbage truck, or to the bird poop left by a group of pigeons trying to tag a fellow New Yorker.
The first three images at the top are examples of an Ambiguous figure/ground relationship and the three at the bottom are examples of a Stable figure/ground relationship. The three images at the top represent ambiguous figure/ground relationships because of the how the elements simultaneously come out to look as though they are both the figure and the ground. This leaves the viewer with no option but to depict what they think is the figure or ground in the image. The three images at the bottom are examples of Stable figure/ground relationships because of how the elements in the image clearly point out what the figure is and what the ground is. The positive space in the image dominates the negative space, giving a clear view of the figure and the ground. The image containing the green cap is an example of a geometric shape. This is because the shape is sharp and precise, also it has a perfectly proportioned circle. The rest of the images are examples of organic shapes. Unlike the image containing the green cap, they contain shapes with more of a natural flowing look.
