That’s because the artist’s surreal creations convert ordinary rooms into mind-melding creations that seem impossible to walk on…of course, with art this fantastic, it seems a shame to trod on it anyway! But the most impressive part is how Heike does it…

From gentle, sea-like blue waves to red wobbling carpets that look even stranger when reflected in the mirror, Miss Weber’s creations turn something as simple as walking through a museum into a mind-altering experience.

Perhaps just as impressive as the actual outcome though, is the way in which Weber actually creates her masterpieces -one line at a time. That’s right, each of these massive installations were created with nothing more than a colored permanent marker and the steady hand of the artist. Imagine how time consuming these projects are, as some of the rooms used in her installations have measured almost 2,000 square feet in size. That’s a whole lot of markers and even more hand cramps.

Even so, the results are no doubt worth the hard work, as the flowing flooring really makes us stop and think about the ground we are walking upon. And isn’t the entire point of art to get the viewer to think?

While many of these are interesting, few are suitable for MoIllusions, but this great graffiti project spotted on Bond Street in New York City by Twitpic user Kennycity certainly is.

While any graffiti tribute would take some time and forethought (assuming the artist didn’t want to be arrested in the process), this lenticular portrait took even more time to put together as the creator had to figure out the angle his work would be viewed at and to ensure it went up straight in order for the illusion to work. In case you were curious what it looks like from the wrong angle, her is a side view:

As if all this weren’t impressive enough, the artist didn’t just stop with the face of the late Mr. Jobs, he also created the image to portray a young Steve Jobs when viewed from the opposite direction, giving the viewer a quick look at the aging process of the visionary.

While there are no indications as to who put up the artwork (one of the drawbacks of being a graffiti artist), they certainly live up to Apple’s slogan and “think different.”

Medusa’s evil was so complete that even after being beheaded, her severed head could be used as a weapon. After Perseus slayed the creature, he used the head to turn the man forcing his mother to marry him, into stone. Perseus then gave the token to Athena, who originally helped him with the powerful shield. Athena then placed the Medusa’s head on her shield, the Aegis, where it could then be used to take down even the most deadly of enemies!

Most artists fail to do justice to a creature as terrifying and hideous as Medusa. But let’s face it – it is not that easy to paint something powerful enough that would turn person into stone when he or she looks at your painting! Still, the clever minds behind Truly Design Visual Communication Studio found a clever way to pay tribute to Medusa.

While their painting may not actually turn people into stone, their decision to do the painting in an anamorphic style does make it difficult to actually view Medusa in her entirety. While you might not need Perseus’ shield to protect your eyes from the work, the effect does mimic the hero’s difficulty in only being able to look at his enemy from certain angles.

Paying tribute to the myth in this manner is probably a lot safer than actually painting something that could turn someone to stone. Plus, it ensures their viewers can live to tell others of the great work, which statues are notoriously bad at doing. On the other hand, artists can always state their creation actually works, and that it’s your fault you haven’t turned into stone because you obviously haven’t seen their Medusa from quite perfect angle ;D

When you walk around the “boxes” and view them from another angle, you quickly realize that Krystina Naylor took two uniquely shaped sculptures and then painted them to perfectly match their surrounding locations in the gallery so they appear as boxes when viewed from the right angle.

And that’s when you realize that these plain cardboard boxes are actually clever works of art that examine the viewer’s perception of the world they live in. And isn’t that what all good art is supposed to accomplish?

Artist Liu Bolin smiles as he prepares to demonstrate an art installation by blending in with vegetables displayed on the shelves at a supermarket in Beijing November 10, 2011. Liu, also known as the Vanishing Artist, started practising being invisible by means of optical illusions more than six years ago.

You’ve probably seen most of Liu’s camouflage installations, but just in case you missed some – click on the image below and browse our #Liu Bolin archive:

Click To Expand The Solution!

In the end, the images are not only a great way to document all the ways the school has changed in the last century, but also to thank the students, faculty and administrators who allowed it to grow. For many of the people pictured, it might also be the only way they can visit their Alma Mater during Homecoming season one last time.

While the project is of particular interest to those with ties to UF, I think we can all appreciate the artistic merits of the photos…even if they aren’t technically illusions. For more pictures and information on how the school has changed over the years,  be sure to visit the homepage of the UF, Then & Now project.

Have any of you ever tried to make your own then & now photographic projects? I’ve always wanted to, but have never had the time to set up the shots just right.

Which one’s your favorite? Do you ever have a hard time finding the person in the pictures?

If these kind of installations ring a bell, you’re right – artists like Guido Moretti and late Shigeo Fukuda experimented heavily with similar kind of ambiguous forms. If you haven’t already, be sure to check Underground Piano from Fukuda and Guido Moretti’s works of art. Let me show you how it works below:

Update: It appears the illusion works flawlessly in other languages to! First two appear to be Spanish and French versions, while I can’t seem to work out the last one on the right? Is it Klingon?

The head master, who attended school in England says that American schools no longer focus on character – despite the fact that the country was founded on the belief than anyone who worked hard and kept trying, despite failure could become a success. He explains:

People who have an easy time of things, who get 800s on their SAT’s, I worry that those people get feedback that everything they’re doing is great. And I think as a result, we are actually setting them up for long-term failure. When that person suddenly has to face up to a difficult moment, then I think they’re screwed, to be honest. I don’t think they’ve grown the capacities to be able to handle that.

As a result, Randolph tries to encourage his teachers to instill values like grit, character and gratitude into students rather than just drilling them to perform well on tests. He even has meetings with parents, urging them to let their children fail on occasion so they can learn how to turn that disappointment into a life lesson that will improve their character and future success.

The New York Times has a fascinating profile on Randolph and his philosophy for improving student’s lives. It also features these excellent anamorphic tape illusions that were used to illustrate Randolph’s measure of character throughout the article.

The pieces were completed by the Doyle Partners advertising company and they are just as cool as the profile on a head master who is redefining success in school.

For a little perspective, here are the images from other angles where you can’t read them as easily.

And as we mentioned comments, remember how I recently improved the discussion section with the ability for you to add pictures inside them? Well, as of recently it seems you have started using this option much more frequently. It provides me with great joy to see how people began contributing more intensely. For example, it seems there is a new trend among you – outlining solutions and posting related illusions directly inside your comments! This was my intention in the first place when I originally imagined this website! If at some point in the past you have asked yourself how come I rarely post solutions to the illusions – I secretly hoped in time our community will evolve and start contributing by itself. Seems we are on a right trail of reaching this right now. My next idea would be to add some kind of voting system to your comments, so that the best voted comments would jump up first. In time, I imagine it would come to that, that a particular comment holding the solution (image attachment or related illusion pic) would rank best. What do you think of this idea? (Just me brainstorming out loud…)

But as advertisers always like to take the work of famous artists and repurpose it to promote their own products, it is not entirely surprising that this technique has since been incorporated into billboards. Of course, that’s not to say these ads aren’t artistic in themselves. After all, it takes a lot of thought and energy to design something that will be displayed outside, but only be visible at certain times of the day.

As a matter of fact, this particular New Castle billboard was created by another set of artists, Ellis Gallagher and Pablo Power. It is made up of more than 3000 bottle caps and can only be seen at night when the external light shows on it at exactly the right angle.

Believe it or not, this billboard is in my town and I still haven’t even had a chance to see it. I think it’s time I head out that way to enjoy the illusion in person.