Signs of the times

I've looked before at the way carefully placed two-dimensional art can be made to look three-dimensional.

Here's a very impressive example from a car park in Melbourn. In this image, the work looks like a rather abstract design of colours... attractive, but nothing revolutionary...

But as you move into the right position, the abstract reforms into signs that direct you around the car park:



Have a look at Axel Peemoeller's site for the other signs. Clever stuff.

Photos © Axel Peemoeller.
Reproduced with permission.

Lines of illusion

I almost feel it's lazy to introduce an another illusion as my Interesting Thing for today. The problem is I find all illusions interesting, and it would be far too easy to fill this blog with them.

But I couldn't resist this one. The question is, are these two pictures the same?


The answer of course, whatever your eyes may be telling you, is that they are identical. The photographic version of this illusion shows the effect more clearly.

Credit: Avatar

Dancing counter-clockwise

I could easily fill this blog with illusions, they fascinate me. But strangely, since I had an operation to fix a detached retina, I find it harder to see them.

The spinning lady illusion is one I had problems with. Sometimes I can look at it for ages, and just see a lady spinning clockwise. But when my brain suddenly decides she is spinning the other way, the effect is amazing.

It's one of those illusions where you really start to think it's a trick... or rather a trick played by something other than your own mind.

A challenge to the senses

I've just tried the BBC's "senses challenge". I didn't do too well, just 12 out of 20, but then a lot of the questions are ones that our senses are designed to fail.

Still, I always knew there was something very wrong with parmesan.

Image by Flickr user Joaoloureiro.
Licensed under Creative Commons by-nc-nd 2.0

Fool's penguins

I've long missed April Fool's day, so I won't even try to pretend this is real... but it's a wonderfully convincing piece of work.

There's also a short video on how the effect was achieved. Yet another reminder that what we see is not reality.

Going down?

Here's another great illusion, from Hemmy.net:


I think I would have to close my eyes to be able to use that elevator, the painting looks amazingly realistic.

Three dimentional two dimensionality

Or should that title be the other way around?...

Julian Beever is an artist who works largely in chalk on pavements. His most fascinating work uses anamorphosis to give the illusion of three dimensions.

His gallery is wonderful, so many clever works. This pool is one of my favourites:


And this shot shows how the actual drawing is distorted to give the impression of 3D when viewed from the correct spot:


I would love to see one of these in situ. Fascinating.

Photos and art © Julian Beever.
Reproduced with permission.