François Abélanet is a landscape designer who uses geometry and perception to trick your mind and create these amazing optical illusions.
Who to believe?
This landscaping installation (called “Qui croire?” in French) was commissioned by the city of Paris to celebrate an event called ‘A season under the trees’. When viewed from a specific angle and height, the chaotic looking landscape all of a sudden looks like a globe with trees sitting on the top.
“It took many shovels, rakes, man-hours, laser pointers and GPS locators to create this unique anamorphosis” according to François’ website.
The video below shows the complicated design & build process.
Drops in Doubt
Drops in Doubt (“Gouttes à Doutes” in French) is a similar mind-bending illusion that uses warped patterns to create a false sense of perspective when viewed from a particular angle. Painted in the now empty moat of Château d’Angers, the pattern gives the impression that you are looking at a vertical, 2-dimensional surface.
Here’s the same patch of ground viewed from a different angle:
The pattern is designed to mimic ripples in the surface of the moat.
More landscaping illusions
Take a look at François Abélanet’s website to see more of his incredible optical illusions.
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