Our brains are always attempting to make sense of the world before us.
But scientists over the years have created optical illusions to throw those senses off and make us question our ability to discern reality. This was the basis of the Museum of Illusions, which started in Croatia in 2015 and has now expanded to 44 cities worldwide, including Atlanta, which is the largest to date at 10,000 square feet.
Opened earlier this month at Atlantic Station on a second floor space, the local version has more than 80 different illusions, holograms and goofy visual tricks, often featuring mirrors. It’s open seven days a week with adult tickets starting at $29. It should typically take 45 minutes to an hour.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
Here are four reasons to check it out:
1. You never know what you’re going to see next. The illusions and tricks come without any theme or narrative. “It’s intentional in the surprise aspect,” said Renee Cooper, marketing manager. “There are a lot of different experiences, different emotions and learning options. Your brain doesn’t see things like this every day.”
2. Check out classic illusions. There’s the Ames Room, in which a trapezoidal room is distorted in such a way that at a particular angle one person looks much larger than the other, an illusion invented in 1946 by Adelbert Ames Jr. Similarly, there’s the Beuchet Chair, where a person standing appears to tower over a seated person, which was created by French psychologist Jean Beuchet in 1963.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
3. It’s Instagram heaven. There is an upside down restaurant where people can pretend they are defying gravity. There is a table in which you stick your head through and mirrors make it seem like your head is floating in the air. There are multiple spaces with mirrors making it look like you’re on an LSD trip. More mirrors provide the illusion you’re playing poker with multiple versions of yourself. Take copious pictures and videos and post them on social media. The marketing team will be especially thrilled if the caption includes #MuseumofIllusionsAtlanta (And if it doesn’t, plenty of the backdrops have the museum name embossed on them.)
4. It’s (possibly) educational. There are panels next to each illusion providing scientific explanations behind each one if you choose to read them. “We call it edutainment,” Cooper said.
IF YOU GO
Museum of Illusions
10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday- Saturday. $29, with discounts for seniors, military and children. Atlantic Station, 264 19th St NW, Atlanta. moiatlanta.com/buy-tickets.
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