#optical-illusion

#optical-illusion

From pieces of everyday white paper, a series of delightful stop-motion animations illuminates how a simple material can be transformed into a sophisticated design. Created by Japenese designer Tomohiro Okazaki, who runs a studio called SWIMMING, "Paper Study" is a series of short intervals in which pieces of cut, folded, and sculpted paper appears to move on its own. Flat sheets transform into voluminous structures before collapsing back into a single plane, and arches, circles, and myriad other shapes move in sync.

To try it yourself, first focus your eyes on the cross between the photos of Liv Tyler and Tom Cruise. Keep the photos in your peripheral vision, but stay focused on the cross. The images will begin to change, first to snaps of Kevin Spacey and Patrick Stewart, and then to Jennifer Lopez and Drew Barrymore. After a few seconds, something very strange will happen - the faces will start to look disfigured, as if their features are out of proportion.

The Moiré Clock is a kinetic timepiece that turns the passage of time into a visual illusion worth watching throughout your day. Using overlapping patterns and continuous motion behind a striped filter, it animates each hour through optical phenomena, making time feel less like a number on a dial and more like a moment to savor. The design explores how perception and movement can create meaning beyond simple functionality.

When it comes to optical illusions, sometimes our brains can be too smart for their own good, overanalysing visual information that often leads to mind-melting effects. Made to amaze and confuse, even the simplest optical illusions can transform into mind-bending phenomena with just a few simple psychological and cognitive tricks. There are countless types of optical illusions out there that have been perplexing us for decades, but the internet's favourite has to be a good ol' fashioned colour illusion.

A picture of a frog hidden in a pile of leaves has left the internet stumped. The picture, taken by a Reddit user during a zoology trip, shows the amphibian disguised by its surroundings. Tucked away and difficult to spot, the frog blends in with the green, orange and red leaves in the background. And the frog's camouflage is baffling people on the internet.

A photograph has been shared online of the most stunning real-life optical illusion I've ever seen, and it's garnered over 5,000 upvotes on Reddit so I'm not the only one to be impressed. Consisting of a sunset as viewed from a car, the sky looks exactly as if there is a river running underneath it, with the sunset turning the water a beautiful pink hue. Staring at the illusion for longer does nothing to take away the spectacle, it's actually very difficult to see the reality of the image - that the river is actually made out of clouds framing the sky in a certain way.

The Lớp Lamp by Thomas Vincent beckons attention with its design that creates an optical illusion of a floating light source surrounded by layered sheets of colored acrylic.

"It's been brilliant to see so many people stop, stare, and realise they're literally standing on history. The water gate has always been there, just beneath people's feet, so creating a piece of art that opens up the ground felt like the perfect way to reveal something that was hidden in plain sight all along."

The clever visual trick is much more old school. It's just come second in the Best Illusion of Year Contest, and I'd say it also deserves a place in our own roundup of the best optical illusions.

The latest optical illusion features a picture of a grazing goat with a hidden woman's face, observable by examining it from different angles and distances.

The illusion takes the form of a snake on a wall, cleverly using the angles of the corridor's corners to make the snake appear suspended in real life.

Dr Dean Jackson highlights the intriguing nature of perception with his optical illusion, stating that observers can reframe their view of an image based on additional context. He shows how keen-eyed viewers can spot a hidden goat in a kookaburra image, where markings create the illusion of a second animal, leading to varied interpretations among viewers.

The illusion titled 'Black Magic' features a solitary eye and a creepy voiceover that heightens the surprise and effectiveness of the optical effect.

"I saw it immediately, but then lost it and having trouble making it out," one person wrote on Reddit. "I saw the 20, but didn't see how it was composed," another person wrote.

Thomas Deininger’s 'Macawll of the Wild' is a brilliant optical illusion made from discarded toys, prompting viewers to reflect on environmental issues.

The spinning ballerina optical illusion has sparked lively debates on which way she spins, suggesting a link between perception and cognitive dominance.