This photograph, taken at the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany, shows a very strange set of columns. They look like they could be pieces for a very large chess set. These particular columns are unique because they also have an alternate meaning – the spaces between the columns appear to resemble human figures. This […]
Many organizations incorporate some sort of optical illusion or other deceptive element into the very logos that they build their identity around. For example, did you know that the FedEx logo includes a hidden graphical message? The white space between the E and the X is an arrow pointing to the right. This arrow is […]
Please note that a new feature has been added to An Optical Illusion. Directly under the search bar on the right hand side is a link titled Random Optical Illusion. Clicking this link will do exactly what you think it might do – it will load a random post from our database. While I was […]
This painting portrays a magical scene during what might be a power outage in a big city. When the dark row of skyscrapers reflects on the surface of the lake, the city comes alive. To order prints of Rob Gonsalves’ work, please visit Huckleberry Fine Art.
Marin County-based photographer Jerry Downs captured the following photograph of two cows standing near each other in Idaho. In the dimly-lit photograph, it appears that the two cows share the same body with a head at each end. In trying to figure out which legs belong to each animal, I am reminded of the strange […]
The following video was created by Guy Wallis and David Lloyd from the University of Queensland in Australia. It was selected as a finalist for the 2013 Best Illusion of the Year contest hosted by the Neural Correlate Society. The video presents an ambiguous pair of cubes that can be interpreted in multiple ways. As […]
Today’s video arrived in my inbox courtesy of Masodo, a regular visitor to this site. He runs a blog called BlogDogIt where he posts about a variety of things that he finds interesting. The video features a dance routine by eight girls who use clever choreography and black & white costumes to create an ambiguous […]
