By Vurdlak on November 29, 2006, with 36 Comments
Funny thing – I just realized we had over a dozen of optical illusions involving some kind of ladders, stairs, steps, staircases… appearing here, on Mighty Optical Illusions. Shown is the staircase at the end of the lobby in Museum of Modern Art The new Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman education building. This photo was kindly submitted by Jeremy Gray with the following text: “I enjoy your site a lot, thought I’d submit something I just noticed on the front page of the New York Times. The image attached to the email is intriguing. The stairs go up and then … disappear! I’ve never been to the museum, so maybe its supposed to be this way, being modern art and all. But even if there really are no stairs there at the top, the reflection on the glass at the side of the stairs makes it look like there could be stairs there… so its an illusion either one way or another!” Similar staircase illusions: relativity by MC Escher, “Ascending“, Lego “Ascending”, circular-endless staircase, ultimate Escher, walking the stairs, painted ladder, going up?, chess steps, painted legs…
(21 votes)
1st comment
but i don’t get it, how does it disappear, is it transparent?
I live in New York, and I can assure you, it’s done on purpose. Pretty cool, though.
It’s really strange picture. And I took some time to find the explanation.
Ramp is made by a glass. When you look on the top, the angle of the photo show you the reflection of the outside window. As the lightning is higher than the steps you can see it like in a mirror. The construction of a mirror is just a slice of glass on a reflective surface like aluminium or just a dark surface.
Droopy
Zoom in and you can see the stairs are there, it is a lucky reflection
For safety glass panels are in place between the hand raid and the stairs base. The glass in the upper rise is in position that nearby window is reflected in it.
looks like the reflection of the window on the pexiglass railing.
oh if you scroll up and down the heads seem to move…
I can’t see it disappear…but I can see that the cow heads in the ads look like other stairs.
i think the reflection on the glass railing is overpowering the glass stairs
the stairs r already c thro but they take the color of the floor so they seem visible then they took a mirror and put it under the c thro part and made them seem invisible
it took me a while to figure this one out. at first i thought it didnt disapear it just goes up to the next floor, but then i saw the part where its suposed to disapear, but it isnt an illusion, persay. its just the angle of the camera and how the stairs are made.
yeh, i think its quite kl, but i agree with Abi xx – its just the camera angle.
To the first commenter – They appear transparent because the picture was taken at such an angle that you see through the cracks inbetween each stair. at least thats what i htinK :)
you walk up the stairs then onto flat ground :p
i can’t be too sure, but it half looks like they look invisible only bacause of a reflection in the side railing. can’t figure it out.
this is easy i think it is the reflection on the wall on the other side of the room it is a white wall that is reflecting on the glass macking it look like their are no stairs
The stairs are very thin and it seems to dissappear when you look at them in a special angle…or is it just a reflection, like ms sayd?
i dont get it. this one is stupid
that is a bad illusion they just made those stairs glass
#3… how could you have figured all that out, if i cant even figure it out after i read ur message? lol
if you scroll up and down at a moderate speed, it looks like the background thingy is moving like a wave. =P
i got it…the stairs are painted and only if u stand in that exact position, it seems to be as if there are no stairs…gradually go up…the stairs are the same color as the “wall” behind it
The Heads move if you scroll up and down LOL
they do not disappear. The stairs are made of glass but a much better illusion in this picture is if you rapidly scroll up add down while looking at it
Not very exciting. But I love the wall paper! Thanks to Andy Warhol! And ya totally agree with #24. If you Scroll up and down the cow heads on the left seem to move! Thats a much better illusion.
it looks like it leads into a hallway after the first pack of stairs. duh. i would like to challenge somebody to figure out who made it and get a different perspective pic on it.
It looks like egyptian ladies praying
try mouse scroll
It looks like the bottom half of the stairs (the part before the platform) are painted onto the wall. You can tell because the color of the ground by the stairs is a different color than the other ground, and the stairs are lopsided on the bottom. But the top half of the stairs are actually there, except there are no steps, just the support parts with a board or something connecting to the wall at the middle of the stairs.
it doesnt really disapear you see it has some holes in beetween and when it gets to those points it looks like the stairs dissapear and that is how it works
iv been there it is like that in real life
i also realized, that if u scroll up and down the pic, u will c that the cows/bulls will move
how cant you see if the stairs disappaer.just look from bottom to top carefully.
I looked up, then down and the bulls seemed to move.
guys guys guys…its a simple perspective change. i live in the country and i see it ALL the time when we pass the vinyards. the camera is at the same height as the “missing” steps, making these steps seem to disappear. the steps are thin and have gaps between them(u can c cows thru the ones on the first flight of stairs. i like the idea fr architecture, but its not THAT amazing of an optical illusion. :/
The cows moooove!