Skip to main content
Scientific American
  • Cart 0
  • Forgot password?Loading
    Not yet registered?
  • |Newsletters
Advanced Search
  • Coronavirus
  • The Sciences
  • Mind
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Sustainability
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Publications
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • Cart0
  • Sign In
  • Newsletters
      • Share
      • Latest

      Sculpting the Impossible: Solid Renditions of Visual Illusions

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

      • Share on Facebook
      • Share on Twitter
      • Share on Reddit
      • Share on LinkedIn
      • Share via Email
      • Print
      Sculpting the Impossible: Solid Renditions of Visual Illusions
      Slideshow (14) images
      View

      Sculpting the Impossible: Solid Renditions of Visual Illusions

        • Share
      • 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...
      • "Lunch With a Helmet On" Shigeo Fukuda welded together 848 forks, knives and spoons to make “Lunch With a Helmet On.” In this case, Fukuda cleverly resolves the illusion by placing a light at the critical vantage point, making the motorcycle obvious only in the shadow cast by the utensil pile...
      • "Underground Piano" Depending on where you stand, you can see the mirror image of a pile of piano parts as a beautiful whole instrument, also by Shigeo Fukuda.
      • One-Man Band “Encore,” by Japanese artist Shigeo Fukuda, uses similar principles to represent a pianist and violinist in the same sculpture when viewed from two vantage points.
      • Advertisement
      • Ascending and Descending M. C. Escher’s “Ascending and Descending” Lego rendition by Lipson and Shiu.
      • If Escher Can Do It, Legos Can, Too M. C. Escher’s “Relativity” appears here as a 3-D representation made with Lego blocks (no trick photography… it’s all real), by Andrew Lipson and Daniel Shiu...
      • Impossible Triangle Revisited Another impossible triangle (now in Ophoven, Belgium), with a different resolution altogether. Again, the viewer’s location relative to the object is critical. Now you know why there are various physical ways to achieve any particular impossible object...
      • How to Make the Impossible Triangle These additional images show the component elements of McKay’s take on the illusion.
      • Advertisement
      • Impossible Triangle An industrial sized version of the “Impossible Triangle” in Perth, Australia, created by artist Brian McKay in collaboration with architect Ahmad Abas. How did they do that?...
      • Resolution to Schepker's "Crazy Crate" Another view of the “Crazy Crate” shows the method behind the madness. Notice that the illusion only works from a specific vantage point. At any other angle, the illusion fails...
      • "Crazy Crate" Hans Schepker has built outstanding sculptures of impossible objects, such as this “Crazy Crate.” Click to the next side to find out how he did it.
      • Homage to the Impossible Escher’s “Belvedere” showcases columns that switch walls between their bases and capitals, a straight ladder whose base rests inside the building yet nevertheless enters the building from the outside at its top, and a sitting man holding an impossible cube...
      • Advertisement
      • Impossible Figures The “Elusive Arch,” by Dejan Todorović of the University of Belgrade, Serbia, shows a new impossible figure. The left-hand portion of the figure appears as three shiny oval tubes...
      • Impossible Figures The impossible triangle (also called the Penrose Triangle or the “tribar”) was first created in 1934 by Oscar Reutersvärd. Penrose, the famous mathematical physicist, attended a lecture by the artist M...
      • Previous
      • Next
      of
      • View all
      • Link copied!
      • Imelda's Dream Come True
      • "Lunch With a Helmet On"
      • "Underground Piano"
      • One-Man Band
      • Ascending and Descending
      • If Escher Can Do It, Legos Can, Too
      • Impossible Triangle Revisited
      • How to Make the Impossible Triangle
      • Impossible Triangle
      • Resolution to Schepker's "Crazy Crate"
      • "Crazy Crate"
      • Homage to the Impossible
      • Impossible Figures
      • Impossible Figures
      Advertisement
      Advertisement

      Newsletter

      Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.

      Sign Up

      Support Science Journalism

      Discover new insights into neuroscience, human behavior and mental health with Scientific American Mind.

      Subscribe Now!Support Science Journalism

      Follow us

      • instagram
      • soundcloud
      • youtube
      • twitter
      • facebook
      • rss

      Scientific american arabic

      العربية
      • Return & Refund Policy
      • About
      • Press Room
      • FAQs
      • Contact Us
      • Site Map
      • Advertise
      • SA Custom Media
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • California Consumer Privacy Statement
      • Use of cookies/Do not sell my data
      • International Editions
      Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.

      © 2021 Scientific American, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc.

      All Rights Reserved.

      Scroll To Top

      You have free articles left.

      Temp Paywall Img

      Support our award-winning coverage of advances in science & technology.

      Already a subscriber? Sign in.

      Subscribers get more award-winning coverage of advances in science & technology.

      See Subscription Options