AzidaHamzah – Master in Art Education | PSV 712

The saying “you can’t believe your eyes” reflects a relatively new idea. In the early 1800s everyone believed their eyes. Not because people were gullible, but because their eyes were the most accurate and effective tools they had to study the world. So it was natural for scientists and others to be curious about how the eye itself worked. Optical illusions were particularly interesting because they seemed to show that the eye could be tricked.

Characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source.

There are three main types:
1. Literal optical illusions that create images that are different from the objects that make them. Literal optical illusions. Artists may use objects such as fruit or foliage to create a portraiture or scenery.

Example

Ukrainian artist Oleg Shuplyak creates amazing optical illusion paintings.

Alakbarov has made his share of wonderful shadow installations as well.

2. Physiological ones that are the effects on the eyes and brain of excessive stimulation of a specific type (brightness, colour, size, position, tilt, movement)

Example:

Illusion in Action

Animated in optical illusion

Spinning Girl Copyright: Nobuyuki Kayahara 2007

The Spinning Girl is a more popular illusion that takes observers by surprise. Psychological articles generally agree among their reasons for the difference in directional perception of The Spinning Girl. Most psychological articles’ explanations include the dominance of either the right side or the left side of the brain. Depending upon brain dominance, the observer of The Spinning Girl illusion perceives the silhouette’s motion to be either clockwise or counter-clockwise. There are, however, psychological articles that refute such rationalizations, noting the brain’s plasticity and flexible nature when affected by illness or injury. The Spinning Girl is not the only optical illusion in motion receiving attention in a large number of psychological articles. Other illusions that either include definite motion or simply perceived motion are addressed in multiple ways by various online psychological articles and postings.

FlipBook (optical illusion of movement)
A flip book is a collection of combined pictures intended to be flipped over to give the illusion of movement and create an animated sequence from a simple small book without machine.

The idea of the folioscope appeared around 1860 and was attributed to the French Pierre-Hubert Desvignes because he animated some pictures, a bit like a Zoetrope. However, it was the English John Barnes Linnett, printer in Birmingham, who was the first to patent the flip book under the name of “The Kineograph a new optical illusion” on 18th March 1868 ( British Patent , n°925). Under the object “Improvements in the means of producing optical illusions”, he described his invention: « producing optical illusions by presenting to the eye in rapid succession a series of pictures of objects representing the objects in the several successive positions they occupy when in motion, and thereby producing the impression of moving objects ». He also foresaw the possibility to use the flip book both ways: « The opposite sides of the leaves may have different pictures on them, so that one book or series of leaves will present one moving picture when the leaves are looked at on one side and another moving picture when the leaves are looked at on the other side ». On 14th September, he added diagrams and following explanations: « Although I have only described the turning over of the leaves, sheets, or cards as effected by hand, yet I do not limit myself thereto, as the said leaves, or cards may be turned over by mechanical means with the same effect ».

3. Cognitive illusions, the result of unconscious inferences.

MOVING EYE ILLUSIONS

Fantastic image by Akiyoshi Kitaoka.

“If you take a look at the following picture , let me tell you … it is not animated. Your eyes are making it move. To test this, stare at one spot for a couple seconds and everything will stop moving. Or look at the black center of each circle and it will stop moving. But move your eyes to the next black center and the previous will move after you take your eyes away from it…. Weird”

Other beautiful illusory pattern provided by great Gianni Sarcone. If you move your eyes around the picture while concentrating on each individual coffee bean, the rest of the beans in your peripheral vision will seem to move like crazy. I don’t know what’s with all of the coffee illusions that are popping like crazy lately, but they all turn-up awesome!

ILLUSORY MOTION

A wonderful moving bicycle illusion by the master of moving illusions Akiyoshi Kitaoka.

FACE ILLUSION

(“Forever Always” by Octavio Ocampo)

see profiles of faces – is remembering the times when they were young and full of life – see the sitting characters

ANIMAL AMBIGUITY ILLUSIONS

cool……..

MULTISTABLE OBJECTS

This corner house is a bit tricky. Question: Is the corner concave or convex? Use your palm to cover the upper half of the picture and the corner will be bulged out. However, if you cover the lower half, then it will seem as the inner corner. Amazing.

IMPOSSIBLE OBJECTS

DISAPPEARING EFFECT

Stare at the black dot in the center and in a few moments the grey area surrounding the dot will disappear.

WORD ILLUSIONS
Word Illusions often require finding a new perspective to look at the image. Stepping back a bit might help not only when looking at these pictures but it is also a good way to solve other problems.

There is also another trick how you can read the hidden words. Scroll this page down and up again a few times while looking at a specific picture.

It is quite interesting that all numbers can be created by using only two numerals – 4 and 8.

Victory or defeat? Both (by Veja Magazine).

FEDEX LOGO HIDDEN MESSAGE

Have you ever noticed a hidden arrow in the FedEx logo? It stands for speed and precision. Check the space between “E” and “x”.

SCARY OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

Scary Optical Illusions are images where creepy things like skulls are hidden.
2 different things can be found in the same picture. You should see another image if you look at each illusion from distance and another one when you look just normally.

Can you find all animals hidden in this face? How many animals can you count in this head?

You probably see Albert Einstein on this picture. However, if you stand up and step 15 feet away, you will see Marilyn Monroe on the same picture.

The Malaysianness of Malaysian Art

Animation In Malaysia…(illusion of movement)
The first animation was a sequence of images slightly different from the previous one on each page, where pages of the book are scrolled rapidly to see the animated picture. This is called Optic illusion.

If you view a series of related still images in quick succession, you perceive them as continuous motion. Each individual image is referred to as a frame, and the illusion of motion comes from the fact that your visual system retains each frame for a short time after you see it. Later they used a camera to capture the images and animated them with the same concept.

BY FILEM NEGARA MALAYSIA
Hand-drawn animated shorts: 1984`s
SANG KANCIL DAN MONYET