Optical Illusions

Another idea I played with during my Gallery project was that of optical illusions. This was inspired by the illusions which can be seen in MIMA’s cafe. See the photos my dad took of these illusions here.DSCN0491I tried to incorporate the illusion of a circle within my corridor forms, although those forms became pyramids as I closed off the narrow end. I started by drawing the circles, working out how to change the curves to create the illusions, by eye.DSCN0493Soon after, I worked out how to create a net pattern on Photoshop to get a more accurate circle. Once I had this figured out I was able to change the shape and positioning of the illusion.

Oval:DSCN0585DSCN0592Off-centre circle:DSCN0658DSCN0661However, I then wanted to incorporate the earlier idea of curving one of the edges of the form but this proved much more difficult. I simply couldn’t work out how to alter the circle’s curves to accommodate for the curved edge and still create a perfect illusion of a circle. I attempted drawing it by hand (below) but gave up all together on Photoshop.DSCN0489DSCN0579Another aspect of these objects which proved tricky was photographing, or even seeing, the illusions. You have probably noticed that the illusions don’t actually seem to work in any of these photos but I promise that it is because they don’t photograph well. If you were to see them in reality you’d be able to tell that they do work, well, they do as long as you squint or hold them at a distance… haha. Maybe I’ve just been looking at them for too long!

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