A Starry Night Illusion

We stumbled across this fantastic illusion on Pinterest – follow the instructions and see what happens!

Starry Night Illusion

Crazy Circle Illusion

Check out this mind-bending ‘crazy circle illusion’ video by Brusspup. Think the ball of white circles is rotating around within the red circle? Think again!

Meet Cameron, the Camera Obscura Bear!

Some bears are born great.

Some achieve greatness.

And some just want to have a really great time.

RAWR!

Cameron Escaping the Zoo!

My name is Cameron, and two months ago I came to live at Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. It is a pretty cool place, except I am getting bored of just sitting looking cute in the shop. Some of my brothers and sisters have already been adopted by nice families, but I have bigger fish to fry: I have a bear bucket list!

First up was escaping the zoo.

Then I had to get some computer skills. A computer is something that humans use to speak to each other instead of speaking, which means I can use it to speak to the world!

I had to wait for someone to open the door to the office because the handle is too high. When the door opened and I waddled in, the boss made a squeaky rawr noise and ran away.

Now that they have accepted I am no ordinary bear, they are going to let me speak to you with the computer. Paws are not useful for typing, but I have discovered I can stab at the keys with a stick humans use for ordinary writing. Now that I can use Word I am already better than almost every bear and many humans at computers.

Cameron…hard at work!

I had to learn to ‘blog’, because I am going to have an adventure! I will be like a real Bear Grylls. I will travel the world, starting with Edinburgh, and visit castles and go on boats and climb hills. (And the stairs at Camera Obscura. This is hard when you have legs as short as mine.)

Then next month there is an event called ‘The Festival’. It sounds a bit scary, especially the way some people talk about it, but I have found out that it is a fun thing with shows and ‘comedians’, which is a thing that makes humans laugh. Thousands of them might scare some little bears, but not me!

That is all the writing I can do, but come back and read about my first adventure! Who knows, perhaps my travels will turn me into a celebearty myself.

Cameron….off on his first adventure

Tube Train Illusion

Which direction is the train going…towards you or way from you?

Can you get it to go both ways?!

Tube Train Illusion

Fractal Spiral

A cheery ‘pulsating illusion’ to brighten up this rainy Monday!

 

Fractal Spiral

How to Draw Your Hand in 3D

This tutorial video from Handimania demonstrates how to draw your hand – in 3D.

 

Great illusion! Why not try drawing your foot as well?

Top Ten Exhibits in Under an Hour

An average visit to Camera Obscura and World of Illusions takes an hour and a half to two hours. Some visitors come and go all day with hand stamps, whereas some are looking to fill time before dinner. Some arrive too late for the Camera Obscura show and have limited time before closing. For those who find themselves with less than an hour to spend here, these are the top ten exhibits you cannot miss, as voted for by staff and visitors alike!

 

1. Rooftop, Level 6

Start your visit on the top floor of the building on the rooftop terrace. We have incredible views of Edinburgh, particularly on a clear day:

 

2. Electricity Room, Level 5

On the next floor down, the Magic Gallery, you’ll find the electricity room. See the giant plasma dome, the only crackle ball in Europe and chat to the Luminglass (like in Star Trek).

 

3. Mirrors, Level 5

You might have been drawn in by the crazy mirrors outside, and here you’ll find more.

 

4. Shadow Wall, Level 5

Make like Peter Pan and capture your shadow.

 

Now it’s time to head downstairs again to the…

 

5. Ames Room, Level 4

This is one of the most unusual and yet recognisable photos you’ll take away from your visit. Shrink and grow like Alice in Wonderland in the Ames Room.

 

6. Morph Machines, Level 4

Have you ever wondered what you’ll look like aged 60? As a man (or woman, if you’re not)? As a chimp? Of course you have, and you can find out just how pretty a chimp you’d make with the morph machines.

As you head downstairs again to level 3, follow the ‘way in’ sign into the exhibitions so that you can walk through the Infinity Corridor on the way to the next exhibit.

 

7. View Cameras, Level 3

These powerful cameras provide amazing views of the city. See boats on the Forth and trams on Prince’s Street, or just spy on people on the Royal Mile.

 

8. Heat Camera, Level 3

Find your hot spots with the thermal camera.

 

Now it’s time to head down to the final floor, Bewilderworld. (Make sure you’re there at least ten minutes before closing to enjoy these exhibitions.)

 

9. Mirror Maze, Level 2

Don’t get too lost in there…!

 

10. Vortex, Level 2

You cannot leave Camera Obscura without a walk or stumble through the Vortex tunnel. See why this is one of our most popular exhibits – even if you decide not to venture into it!

 

Do you agree with these choices? What were your favourite exhibits at Camera Obscura and World of Illusions?