Don’t Lego that imagination!

Lego Hello World, by horseattack

thanks Erin, via nerdist & likecool

Related links:

Street artists step it up with 3D
by Leslie Katz
CNET
July 26, 2010

You don’t need special glasses to view the 3D street art in the gallery below, but you do need to approach it from just the right vantage point to see or photograph the full effect.

The mind-bending images are inspired by anamorphism, a centuries-old technique used in frescoes and other drawings to create the illusion of height and width (as such, 3D street painting is sometimes called anamorphic or illusionistic).

Scroll through the pictures to view vivid imagery that turns 2D asphalt into amazing 3D art. (more…)

Images by Ben Heine, Belgian painter, illustrator, portraitist, caricaturist and photographer:

For more information about Ben Heine, visit his Web site or go here to see more images from this series.

thanks Erin

An amazing magic trick performed on CCTV for Chinese New Year 2010:

Liu Qian – Magic Show on 2010 Chinese New Year

Within hours, the trick was exposed online. So much for the keeping the magic of the mystery!

thanks Linda

Johnny Carson and Dom DeLuise egg each other on…

thanks Don

A day in the life of New York City, in miniature…

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare

Best viewed in HD and full screen for best effect at vimeo.com

Original Music composed by Human, co-written by Rosi Golan and Alex Wong. For a description of the shoot, camera, lenses and workflow, please visit bit.ly/aFmaPZ.

thanks Erin

Lui Bolin, a 36-year-old artist from Shandong, China, paints himself and disappears into his own paintings. His work underscores how people are affected by their surroundings. This series, ‘Hiding in the city,’ is a form of protest inspired by China’s persecution of artists. Read and see more at Telegraph.co.uk.

(more…)

The Science of Magic: Not Just Hocus-Pocus
CBSnews.com
November 1, 2009

Neuroscientists and Magicians Are Studying How Sleight of Hand Affects the Brain, and Its Potential to Diagnose Autism

Las Vegas can be a magical place. It certainly is for Penn and Teller, who have been performing magic in their own Las Vegas theatre for almost eight years.

The house is packed every night – a testament to both Penn and Teller’s draw . . . and to the universal appeal of magic itself.

“What makes for a successful trick?” Blackstone asked Teller, who never says a word on stage. He broke his silence for our interview (but insisted that we not show his moving lips).

“The core of a successful trick is an interesting and beautiful idea,” he said, “that taps into something that you would like to have happen. One of the things we do in our live show is I squeeze handfuls of water and they turn into cascades of money. That’s an interesting and beautiful idea.

“The deception is really secondary,” Teller said. “The idea is first, because the idea needs to capture your imagination.” (more…)

Sniff is a project by Karolina Sobecka with software design by Jim George. Sniff is a 3D interactive dog projected against a shop window in New York. He’s just a computer-generated rendering but he’s got personality – he reacts to your gestures, follows you around, and presented with a group, chooses favorites.

via Presurfer.com

Submitted by W.J. Elvin III:

How to make someone disappear into thin air? No problem. Take in an evening of CIA magic…

CIA Magic: The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
Tuesday, 20 October; 6:30 pm
International Spy Museum, Washington DC

“Magic and Intelligence are really kindred arts.”
— John McLaughlin, former deputy director of central intelligence

In the early days of the Cold War, the CIA initiated a top-secret program, code-named MKULTRA, to counter Soviet mind-control and interrogation techniques. Realizing that its officers and agents might need to clandestinely deploy newly developed pills, potions, and powders against the adversary, the CIA hired America’s most famous magician, John Mulholland, to write two secret manuals on sleight-of-hand and covert communication techniques.

Twenty years later, virtually all documents related to MKULTRA—including Mulholland’s manuals—were thought destroyed. Only recently, a surviving copy of each manual, complete with photographs and illustrations, was discovered. In their new book, The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception, H. Keith Melton, internationally renowned espionage historian, and Bob Wallace, former director of the CIA’s Office of Technical Services (OTS), reveal for the first time Mulholland’s complete illustrated instructions for CIA officers on the magician’s approach to manipulation and communication.

This eye-opening evening will explore the rich overlap between stage magic and espionage and reveal the “never before seen” secrets of how the magicians’ art also enhanced the spy’s craft.

Tickets: $20 per person. The Museum Complex is located at 800 F Street, NW – between 9th and 8th Streets, Washington DC

By Philip Scott Johnson

Music: Bach’s Allemande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 performed by Antonio Meneses

thanks Erin

Related links:

Found and submitted by W.J. Elvin III:

Artist creates invisible car
Telegraph.co.uk
02 May 2009

Art student Sara Watson has found the ultimate way of avoiding traffic wardens – by making her car invisible.

The 22-year-old student at the University of Central Lancashire spray painted a battered Skoda Fabia to match the car park and entrance to her art studio.

Her work, created as part of her drawing and image making course at the university, creates the illusion that the car is see through.

She was given the car from a breakers yard and worked for three weeks to ensure that it blended perfectly with its surroundings. (more…)

From BaaStuds:

We took to the hills of Wales armed to the teeth with sheep, LEDs and a camera, to create a huge amazing LED display. Of sorts…

thanks Erin

How to undress in 2 seconds?

via Huffington Post

Japanese illusionist/street magician at work:

thanks Carol Lena