OLTRE IL MURO: ARTE e FOTOGRAFIA: OPTICAL ILLUSIONS AT SOUTH KOREA’S AWESOME TRICK EYE MUSEUMS

domenica 29 luglio 2012

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS AT SOUTH KOREA’S AWESOME TRICK EYE MUSEUMS

Planting a kiss on Mona Lisa’s cheek, riding the legendary Pegasus and even getting peed on by a baby, it’s all possible at one of South Korea’s Trick Eye Museums.
I’ve never been to Korea, but apparently people there, like the Japanese, love to take photos of themselves with cool stuff, so it’s no wonder they’ve created a bunch of tourist attractions where people can immortalize themselves doing the craziest things. They’re called “trick eye museums” and feature various well-executed trompe l’oeil (French for “deceive the eye) artworks that either look like they’re coming out of the frame, or that you’re stepping in. If you manage to get a shot from the right angle, you can get some really cool photos of yourself interacting with the paintings. Judging by the photos I’ve found, these places are lots of fun.

Photo: Busan for 91 Days

There are three popular trick eye museums in South Korea, one in Seoul, and two others, in Busan and on Jeju Island, each boasting an impressive number of fun optical illusions waiting to be discovered. But if you don’t like having your picture taken, you best stay away from these museums, because they don’t really offer anything but setups for funny photos. You can have your photo taken while preparing to be eaten by a giant four-headed serpent, launching an Angry Bird, riding a centaur or picking up a giant piece of sushi. If you love goofy photos, it really doesn’t get better than this. And don’t let the lack of a camera keep you from having a blast at a trick eye museum, as they all offer digital camera rentals for just $9.