Earlier today, we presented five optical illusions by Olivier Redon, a French-American inventor. Now, we reveal how he created these mind-bending effects. Three of the images are inspired by the Necker cube, a two-dimensional drawing of a cube that can be perceived in two ways: either with the bottom left face at the front, or the top right face at the front. Once your eyes settle on one interpretation, it becomes difficult to see the other.
One illusion shows a can, but what are you actually looking at? The trick convinces you that you are seeing the outside of a complete can, when in fact you are looking at an inverted internal segment of the can with the top stuck on upside down. The eyes perceive the shape as curved outwards, but it is actually curved inwards. The image at the top of this article displays the two pieces needed to create the illusion: the top disc and the side section, which are then fitted together.
Another illusion features a red box, but it is not what it seems. As with the Necker cube, once you see the faces as sticking out (or in), it is very difficult to see them as sticking in (or out). The still images do not do this illusion justice; the video is quite remarkable and hard to believe.
An iPhone image shows two dinosaurs that are the same size. How did Redon take the photo? This illusion plays with lines of perspective. All you need to do is take pictures of the dinosaurs at both a horizontal and a vertical angle.
Finally, a portrait of Redon and his daughter appears to show a cube with transparent sides, but it is actually another Necker cube illusion. The three squares with writing on are not the outward faces; they are the inward faces. All photographs are copyright Olivier Redon. You can check out his website olired.com and follow him on LinkedIn.
