Unflattening

Sousanis addresses the role of movement in perception. He cites the psychologist Rudolf Arnheim, who says that “to see means to see in relation” (Location 85). Perception is a dynamic activity that encompasses the comparison, evaluation, and contextualization of visual phenomena. Sousanis shows how multiplicity and differentiation are essential to perception through his illustrations of lines that vary from flat, to mildly curved, to jagged. These suggest different states of mind, as they carry “the maker’s expression” (Location 88). He shows how “by orchestrating the relationship between elements and the space they inhabit, we can trigger correspondence with experience both seen and felt” (Location 88), as a jagged line implies fractiousness, while a wavy one implies tranquility.

Drawing is a useful tool for understanding the processes behind perception, as it directly involves “the perceptual and embodied processes underlying thinking” (Location 91). Drawing is a means of externalizing our ideas while encountering new ones that further enhance our understanding of a subject. To illustrate this point, Sousanis shows a man in silhouette who is drawing exploratory, spiraling tentacles (Location 93). While the tentacles resemble those of an octopus, they are more abstract, and the text frames the drawing as an act of discovery: “[D]rawer and drawing journey forth into the unknown together” (Location 93).