We have to admit that we all thought it was only an optical illusion up to this video demonstration.

Or should we follow the counter-explanation showing that this is a simple perspective trick:

Up to now, we had the pretty engraving from Joseph Jastrow in 1899 where a rabbit seems to forget its species to transform itself into a duck.

Joseph Jastrow's rabbit-duck

Here comes now the sculpture inspired by the painting and representing the same character always source of visual confusion.

Rabbit-duck

An anamorphosis is used to show something that is only recognizable from a certain location and in a certain angle. Most of them are classically hidden inside paintings. But a city decided to use one anamorphosis to make car drivers believe that there is a child playing on the road, forcing them to slow down… where children may play and be at risk from speeding cars.

Slow down or run over the playing girl!

It would have been even better in open air. But this one is already quite nice.

Source: Geekosystem.

This is the conclusion of a paper published online November 12 in Developmental Science. Here, the researchers ofund that it seems that the brain circuits used to simplify the visual perception by using as much context as possible (and they are responsible for most of the optical illusions) are not set before at least the age of 10. Before that most children have difficulties perceiving what we adults describe as optical illusions.

For once, there is a game for grown-ups only, and it does not involve dirty tricks. Just tricks.

Source: ScienceNews.

I really love the Digital Photography School web site. They have plenty of excellent tutorials, tips and tricks for the digital photographer. I found there a specially intersting one to help us build a Droste-type optical illusion: Droste ‘Frame in a Frame’ Effect.

You will love it.

When you love ancient watches and you love optical illusions or graphic design, you may want to mix it all in a form that is a reminder of M.C. Escher spirals of old expensive watch dials. David Pearson, a plastic surgeon with a love for nice watches is also an able Photoshop designer.

Tiffany time spiral - Copyright © 2008 D. C. Pearson, M.D.

Source: Cory Doctorow in Boing Boing.