This pattern gives an empirical demonstration of the visual phenomenon when the main colour impression is produced, partly, by kinship between hues allowing seeing a simpler organisation.

The phenomenon is clearly also depending on our seeing of visual depth, but I cannot explain how or why. welcome to suggest!

Depending on the viewing direction the hues of the pattern of coming/going bands produce a main impression of different colour combinations: red & green, orange & green-blue, and yellow & blue-violet .

Basic design: the colour circle divided in six parts and repeated in an hexagonal pattern. The mirrors are used only to enlarge the floor of the small room, because to this phenomenon size does matter ­ or, more accurately, the number of repetitions. However, depending on the angel of reflection, mirrors can also show the view from another direction. This way they make it possible to see all the three directions simultaneously and thus directly compare the different main colour impressions.

NB: the proper division of the "circle" is important to produce clear bands and thus the effect (dividing it in triangles does not work so well).

Click on the image to get a print-version of the Rainbow-floor (A4).

Colour balance, saturation, intensity and contrast can be changed without affecting the phenomena, but a low angle of viewing and high number of repetitions have an enhancing effect, so the image should ideally be printed in many copies to make a larger "floor".