November 18, 2008 | 13 comments

Art as Visual Research: 12 Examples of Kinetic Illusions in Op Art

Art and neuroscience combine in creating fascinating examples of illusory motion

By Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik   

 
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MacKay Rays Art as Visual Research: 12 Examples of Kinetic Illusions in Op Art :: Art and neuroscience

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MacKay RaysThis illusion, created in 1957 by neuroscientist Donald M. MacKay (then at King's College London in England), shows that simple patterns of regular or repetitive stimuli, such as radial lines (called "MacKay rays") can induce the perception of shimmering or illusory motion at right angles to those of the pattern. To see the illusion, look at the center of the circle and notice the peripheral shimmering.
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