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Optical illusions & the art of seeing

Explore optical illusions, impossible objects and illusion art with pictures, viewing instructions and explanations. Follow the science and history behind each example, from classic visual puzzles to fractals and camouflage in nature and human design.

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The collection

Impossible wooden cube — A real wooden construction looks like an impossible cube from one view.

Impossible wooden cube

Wmccallie

A real wooden construction looks like an impossible cube from one view.

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Two equal center circles, one surrounded by larger circles and one by smaller circles.

Ebbinghaus circles

Traditionally Hermann Ebbinghaus; popularized by E. B. Titchener

The neighbors change the size of the circle you see.

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A black-and-white ambiguous portrait that can be read as a young man or an older man.

My Husband or My Father-in-Law

Jack Botwinick (1923 - 2006), American neuroscientist

You should experience a 'Gestalt Switch' between seeing the figure as a young man or old man.

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The Librarian — A learned figure assembled from books and the equipment of reading.

The Librarian

Giuseppe Arcimboldo

A learned figure assembled from books and the equipment of reading.

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Julia Set — Repeated complex mappings produce intricate connected shapes or dust-like sets.

Julia Set

Gaston Julia and Pierre Fatou

Repeated complex mappings produce intricate connected shapes or dust-like sets.

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Impossible chair — A digitally altered chair gives its supports contradictory connections.

Impossible chair

TipFox

A digitally altered chair gives its supports contradictory connections.

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People stand around a pavement painting of a deep, geometric architectural space at Herald Square.

Herald Square Celebration

Kurt Wenner (1958 –), an American artist

You should have the visual experience of giant people seeming to stand on top of buildings. However, although people are real, they are not giants and the buildings they seem to be…

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An animated black-and-white spiral used to induce a motion aftereffect.Moving image

Waterfall Illusion

Robert Addams popularised the illusion in 19th century; but it was known much before.

You should experience the dots in the test pattern as moving - even though they are stationary.

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Adjacent unequal parallelograms containing two highlighted diagonals of equal length.

Sander’s parallelogram

Friedrich Sander; earlier Matthew Luckiesh

Equal diagonals look unequal inside different frames.

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Hilbert Curve — A line turns through a square with increasingly fine resolution.

Hilbert Curve

David Hilbert

A line turns through a square with increasingly fine resolution.

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A wooden bowl on white illustrating the tactile aftereffect article.

Tactile Aftereffect

I.M. Vogels Vogels, A. M., Kappers and J.J. Koenderink J. J. (1996)

When you press your hands to the flat surface you should experience the flat surface as curved for a few seconds.

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Original side-view diagram of a Musion-style stage: a projector lights a hidden floor image that angled transparent foil reflects towards the audience as an upright virtual performer.

Gorillaz on stage — Musion Eyeliner

Gorillaz with Musion’s Eyeliner projection system

Gorillaz’s animated band members appear to perform on stage. Musion’s holographic presentation turns video into an apparently present performer.

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Enlarged image from the selected gallery entry