Transformation

What at first look like a distorted drawing or a jumble of shapes transform into something else—something whole, different, new—through children’s playthings. Several scientific instruments (though today, we might classify them as toys) from the 1800s are part of Santa Clara University Library, Archives and Special Collections that use mirrors to achieve optical wonders.

Toys, says Jui Bhagwat, a lecturer in the Department of Psychology, need not be this complex to captivate interest and facilitate growth. “In the absence of actual toys, everyday objects or materials without a specific function like cardboard boxes can inspire fantastical role play,” she says. “One could argue that all play is transformative, because each play experience sets off a cascade of cognitive, social, and emotional developmental changes.” No matter our age, play transforms our perceptions of the world and our understanding of our place in it.

This seven-mirror apparatus—also built by Jules Duboscq in the 1870s— demonstrates the full spectrum of color from a beam of sunlight. Just think of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album cover to understand how white light from the sun can be dispersed into a series of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) through the prisms of the mirrors. Playing with perspective never stops being important, even as adults. Play, in this way, can lead “to different things for different people,” says Bhagwat. “For some, it might tease out questions about why and how light creates patterns, for others it might set off ideas for how certain colors work together in art, design, or fashion, and for some it might just be a quiet moment [of reflection].”