January 21, 2009 | 9 comments

Sculpting the Impossible: Solid Renditions of Visual Illusions

Artists find mind-bending ways to bring visual illusions called impossible figures into three-dimensional reality.

By Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde

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Imelda's Dream Come True

Imelda Marcos, widow of the former Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was infamous for her shoe collection, but also for quotes such as this: “People say I'm extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty. But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by garbage?” Well Imelda, now you can be surrounded by both, courtesy of artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster. The collaborators create beautiful pieces made from rubbish. The image on the left, “Dead White Trash (With Gulls), 1998,” depicts the duo as the shadow cast from a pile of garbage taken from six months of their own consumption. Similarly to Fukuda, these artists have placed the light source at the critical vantage point, and made the viewing of the sculpture based on its shadow. The image on the right is “Real Life Is Rubbish, 2002,” created with the artists’ studio refuse.

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