Windows
Entering the room, an optical illusion challenges you: how many windows do you see?
One window multiplies to two. The line drawing on the wall is an illusion, made to appear as a partner to the real window when seen from the entry door. Its virtual makeup—lines drawn on the wall—mirrors the original window with corresponding lines.
To create the illusion, centuries-old techniques of perspective and anamorphic projection drawing merge with new computational methods. After measuring the room, digital models assist in aligning the illusion with the unique vantage point: the only door into the room. With the geometry established, key points mapped on the wall guide the hand-painted completion of the illusion. From the door, the illusion—a trompe l'oeil—renders the view of the false window as in line with the existing room. Once you walk into and around the room, the illusion breaks down, revealing the window illustration as a trick of geometry.
Site-specific installation, The Mattress Factory Art Museum, Pittsburgh
Viewing the piece from the entry door, the real and the virtual window are difficult to distinguish
As you move through the room, the illusion falls apart to reveal the distorted geometry necessary to trick the eye.
A fourth window is virtually placed outside the room. Projector lines converge at a viewing point at the entry door. The image is painted on the side wall where the projection lines intersect the wall.
