Show of Illusions

In the afternoon we want to see the World of Mind Museum at Tour & Taxis in town. It featured a large collection of visual illusions which appealed very much to the children visiting while we were there. As an adult of some years I was familiar with most of these illusions, but they were nicely presented and some were good fun to do for a picture. This fake hole in the floor was simple and effective.

This impossible shape was nicely tricked up in three dimensions and worked when seen through a hole in a stand to see it from the right height and angle. Though when seen at leisure in this photograph, its shadow does give away the trickery.

The best was saved till the end and was very effective indeed. A walkway trough a tunnel with projected lights going round in a spiral. Two steps in and although the walkway doesn't move of course, you're clinging to the handrails because you think the whole thing is tilting over. Turn around and the same thing happens in the other direction. (No spoiler here - you have to experience the thing yourself and even if you know what's going to happen it works very very well - so well in fact that you can actually get queasy in the stomach if you stay in too long!).