Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Step into a different dimension
BIANCA COLEMAN
Mof us have seen those amazing photographs on social media and internet websites of 3D pavement art; the optical illusions are incredible. Now you can see it first hand at the Incredible Illusions exhibition at the V&A Waterfront.
Master artist and master architect Kurt Wenner is considered to be the inventor of this kind of art. He produced his first commissioned mural at the age of 16, and within a year he was earning his living as a graphic artist.
He attended both the Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Centre College of Design, before working for Nasa as an advanced scientific illustrator, creating conceptual paintings of future space projects and extraterrestrial landscapes. So rather a clever chap!
At the entrance to the exhibition, there is a guide who explains how the illusions work. Each piece has a label on the floor indicating where you should stand to best view the art. Then we were instructed to close one eye to get the full effect of the illusion. Another way to view the art is through your phone or tablet camera, which has only one lens.
Even if it were in 2D, the art itself is magnificent, but it’s more fun when you see it in 3D. You are encouraged to interact with the art and take pics to post on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
This means you can position yourself anywhere in the picture, and it will look as if you are right there in it. You’ll need a fair amount of direction from the person taking the picture because you won’t be seeing what they see.
To conclude the experience there is an Artjamming™ zone where visitors can learn the basics of 3D painting. I’m a big Art Jamming fan. For my experience last week, see the story on page 2.
Incredible Illusions is in the Watershed’s Jubilee Hall at V&A Waterfront until July 23, from 10am till 7pm daily (last entry at 6pm). Tickets are R80 to R180 through www. webtickets. co. za or at the entrance to the exhibition. For more info go to www.incredibleillusions. co.za