Vortex Tunnel

Washington DC has more than its share of museums and we seem to get a few new ones every year (still need to get to Planet Word). Plus the existing institutions are always remodeling and changing exhibits.

This past week, Kathy and I checked out the recently-opened Museum of Illusions in the City Center area of downtown DC. It’s a very compact collection of optical tricks with lots of mirrors and tailor made for selfies. It was also a lot of fun.

Here are a few of the pictures I shot at the museum. If you’re interested in more, check out the full gallery. And you can see Kathy’s different perspective on the space here.

At the top is the Vortex Tunnel. It’s hard to picture the space from this shot because the darkness required a relatively long shutter speed. So this is more impression than accurate rendering. Walking through is pretty disorienting.

In The Kaleidoscope

This is what you see looking through a human-sized kaleidoscope if there was another photographer at the other end.

Tilted Room

The Tilted Room is pretty simple. But the angle of the floor and mirrors makes it very disorienting for the sense of perspective and balance. Which is why some people need the nearby chairs when they exit the room.

Infinity Room Ceiling

The ceiling of the Infinity Room. A small space but very effective.

Smartphone

As I said, the place is designed for cameras, of all kinds.