In this sculpture created by Japanese artist Kumi Yamashita, the shadows cast by a group of carved wooden letters form the profile of a face when lit by a single light source (from the right).  Her artwork frequently uses simple objects, light and shadow to form human profiles and other likenesses. More of her artwork […]

Does it look like the woman in this photograph is standing on a flying carpet? The shadow is from a flag and flagpole while the rug that the woman is standing on is firmly on the sand.  At first glance, it appears that the shadow and the rug are related to one another, giving the […]

The checker shadow illusion was originally published by MIT professor Edward H. Adelson in 1995.  It presents two squares that are the same shade but appear to be quite different from one another.  The video below demonstrates the illusion as a light square in a shadow is moved to reveal that it is the same […]

John V Muntean has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago.  He is also an artist, creating what he calls “Magic Angle Sculptures”.  Each of these sculptures resembles an abstract wooden carving.  However, when lit from above, the carving can be rotated to reveal three distinct shadows.  The video below details Muntean’s sculpture […]

Take a look at this boat that is hovering several feet over the water.  How is this possible? The shadow cast by the boat on the floor of the sea and the angle that the photograph was taken from give us the illusion that this boat is somehow flying or floating.  Photograph taken by Domenico […]