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io9.com: The art installation seen here is named, menacingly but appropriately, Demon Hill #2. It is the work of LA-based artist Julian Hoeber, and to step inside it is to abandon sensations of balance, proprioception, and general physical stability — all thanks to some fiendish architectural trickery.
What a freaky experience going into this room would be. It reminds me slightly of the art installations at the Mattress Factory here in Pittsburgh, but those don't quite "make you sick". This is an interesting show of how geometric shapes and angles can mess with people's eyes and and sense of balance. Which, is relevant to theatre in some ways because we can use these techniques in sets to make people feel as uncomfortable as possible. If there's a scene where there should be some sort of premonition about an impending disaster, an off kilter set or odd angles such as the ones used in this room could really set the tone, and make the audience subconsciously uncomfortable knowing that something was off, but they couldn't quite place it.
I also love the way that room plays with your mind a little. What is really nice is the way that it creates this effect with really simplistic shapes and construction. I'd be interested to learn about the other tricks that you can play on the mind and what affects those have on the viewer. It would be interesting to manifest a giant optical illusion on stage, maybe combine it with a cirque type of act and really throw the audience off balance. Any way to shift the viewer's perspective is worth looking into if you want to emphasize a very specific moment.
I love stuff like this, when I was little once, my grandparents took me to an exhibit like this in Northern California. It was a house built to match the angle of the hill it was on. It had inside multiple floors, a seemingly vertical ladder you physically couldn't climb and a stream outside that ran uphill. Stuff like this that kind of messes with your mind or changes the way experience something are all so interesting. I kinda wanna spend like 20 minutes juts rolling around in this exhibit.
I have been in a room similiar to this at the COSI science museum in Toledo, Ohio. And it truly is a memorable experience. I went was I was a kid and I literally would spend hours in this room created to "play" with the laws of physics. For example in this room they had a ball on a shelf that looked like it rolled uphill and even a table you could pour water on and the water ran "up wards". I have always found the use of shapes and perspective to play with the audiences mind a great use of art. Some of the most fascinating art I have seen have forced my mind to reexamine the work over and over again and seeing something new every time. Escher's stairs, for example, is a piece of art that I have looked for hours and still see something new and fascinating every time I look again.
I love that this exhibit shows participants how it's done. I think there's some value in that. People were for years fascinated by roadside attractions such as these. They spent time wondering how such a feat could be accomplished, or if gravitational mystery spots were real points of existence. Now, some time later, there is intrigue in seeing how such a place was created. Even never having been to one of these attractions myself, knowing the history makes my interested in seeing this one. There are many ways in which roadside attractions can still be profitable in today's market. Revealing the hoax behind something which once thirved is but one of them.
I would loooove to experience this. Its incredible that a piece of architecture can cause this kind of perception. Id be very curious to see how this effect could be used in both film and theatre. I know that inception built an entire hallway that rotated so it looked like the actors were walking on the walls and ceiling. This kind of technology should be utilized much more because I find it more impressive than CGIing everything. In the end, every person has a child still in them and every child wants to be a space cadet.
This is really awesome. I love exhibits and installations that can physically effect how you perceive the space you're in. Even if you know you are being deceived, such as in the case of the exhibit showcased in the article, you can't help but be swept away by the sensations you are experiencing. It reminds me of some of the disorienting works of art that are on display at the Mattress Factory. Even after the second or third time I looked at them and knew the trick, I was still able to be emerged in the sensations they were creating.
It is very interesting to see how simple geometric shapes are combined to create a totally architectural trickery. Just by looking at the picture, I would definitely feel out of "balance, proprioception, and general physical stability." However, it will be amazing experience to enter into that room. I really love how the artist named his room as Demon Hill #2. I think it is brilliant to combine architecture with physics in which controls human's sight. I also agree that those weird angles and skewed angles amplifies the effect of disorientation for the viewers. It is so cool how a room is a kind of magic trick. Also, I like the choice of material, wood. It helps the effect even more. I really want to go inside to see how this room will make me feel award and out of balance as Julian Hoeber intended to be.
Stuff like this is so cool. It takes reality and messes with your frame or reference, which disorients and bewilders you and I love that. Stuff that bends reality and messes with your mind is always so entertaining. It breaks reality. This reminds me of a semi-similar art exhibit in which someone had basically built a house upside-down. The house gave you such a feeling of vertigo it was great. I like what Kelly said about incorporating illusions like this into a set i feel that could be really interesting.
What I find interesting about Hoeber's Demon Hill #2 is that it's effectively his first major installation. Transitioning from 2d to 3d to, basically, an all encompassing 4d space is something that people don't always immediately grasp the difficulty of. This work is so cleanly executed and its goal is so high- all artists work to invoke some kind of response in their viewers, but this piece actually conjures a strong physical response that is not only in the emotional realm. Working through our Medea installations, it's becoming extremely clear that as an artist, you can create whatever you want but you can't expect the audience to feel the exact intended reaction. Everyone is going to have a different response. I like that with this piece, all of the audience members are going to be linked through at least the same physical sentiment, because the human body always reacts that way to this type of architectural environment.
Im still very confused at how this works or what exactly it does, but I absolutely love how simple architecture can make a large group of people sick. There's something about the idea of architecture being a "magic trick" that makes me very curious about this room. I've always liked to know how effects work and I think this could be really cool on stage. i also wonder what would happen if it moved.
These rooms are fun! They've got one of these over at the Children't museum, but a much smaller effect that doesn't make you sick. I always find it fascinating how much the human brain depends upon sight to tell us what is going on, going so far as to ignore signs our bodies are telling us if our eyes tell us something different. Considering this, you would figure we would have better night vision.
I think that this is something that I would need to experience to understand how it could make people feel sick. After going to the show's website and looking through all of the pictures I just think that it's interesting, that's all! It really is interesting how different things affect people psychologically.
I am really interested in the fact that this artist was able to combine art and science to create an installation piece such as this. In order to create something that will make someone feel off-kilter, you first have to understand the finer points of how gravity works, and how the human body will react to such conditions. I think it's great that this artist was able to show that art can be science, and science can be art.
When I was little I went to this science museum that had something much like this. It was brightly colored house and it was twisted and inclined. From the outside you could tell it was not level or had straight lines. Whenever I went into the house I couldn't spend more than five minutes without feeling like I was going to throw up. I think that an artist turning this into an art piece is an interesting idea, however the idea is not an original one, which I believe greatly devalues this art piece.
I love these rooms so much! there was one at 6 flags that i used to love going to and every time i would go i would have to go into this room. once my dad explained it to me and ever since then ive been fascinated with the illusions you can pul off with just pure architecture and building! i think this is an amazing design idea for sows in theater too. especially environmental theater.
I've been to a road side attraction just like the one they talk about in this article. It's a weird feeling to be in a tilled room, but I don't think it was all that amazing. I do think that this version of the effect has been made very nicely. The wood floor and walls as well as the odd shapes of the wall add to the crazy world of the box. I don't think I agree with the sentiment at the end of the article "the device behind the hoax, while never diminishing the effect." I think that the best magic tricks are the ones you have to wonder about and can't get a real answer too. When I went to this road side attraction I know what was happening, but I couldn't prove it and that's what made is so great.
I absolutely love this piece! Before I read the article, I just stared at the first picture for a few minutes, and couldn't understand how the woman was doing that Michael Jackson tilt. The incline is such a neat trick. I'm wondering though, if showing the trick ruined the spectacle of the installation. If he had kept the secret from viewers, they would never stop wondering and let their mind work to find an answer. I'm also wondering if the light colored wood played an effect on perspective. The wood grain makes it look like the piece goes on forever. I'm not sure I understand the title, though. I find the piece very peaceful, and not Demon-like. But I guess the name is for people who experience the dizziness and nausea from standing in the room. Never mind. I understand now.
My dad and I used to stop at the "Mystery Spot" in Michigan on the way up to grandma's house in the U.P. every summer. I remember a room like this and a sink that where the water didn't swirl one way or the other when it went down the drain. I have to disagree with the author of the article that this installation piece represents the "best kind of magic trick" where the trick is revealed. That is by definition the WORST kind of magic trick. For me there is nothing satisfying about having a mystery revealed. There is quite enough pedantry in the world. That being said, as an installation piece, I appreciate the aesthetic and artistic intent of this piece, if not the educational intent. The choice of unpainted plywood as a material evokes a sense of austerity, a kind of Norwegian visual economy, but also a feeling of slapdash carnivalism, like the unpainted backsides of the midway booths at the county fair. Carnies just don't have the patience for back-paint, it turns out.
I find this very cool !! The second picture gave me a better idea n how this works where the entry way is slightly tilted forward but the actual box seems to be at a normal orientation. But it still plays tricks on the eyes and i cant even imagine how i would feel if i were inside this contraption.
20 comments:
What a freaky experience going into this room would be. It reminds me slightly of the art installations at the Mattress Factory here in Pittsburgh, but those don't quite "make you sick". This is an interesting show of how geometric shapes and angles can mess with people's eyes and and sense of balance. Which, is relevant to theatre in some ways because we can use these techniques in sets to make people feel as uncomfortable as possible. If there's a scene where there should be some sort of premonition about an impending disaster, an off kilter set or odd angles such as the ones used in this room could really set the tone, and make the audience subconsciously uncomfortable knowing that something was off, but they couldn't quite place it.
I also love the way that room plays with your mind a little. What is really nice is the way that it creates this effect with really simplistic shapes and construction. I'd be interested to learn about the other tricks that you can play on the mind and what affects those have on the viewer. It would be interesting to manifest a giant optical illusion on stage, maybe combine it with a cirque type of act and really throw the audience off balance. Any way to shift the viewer's perspective is worth looking into if you want to emphasize a very specific moment.
I love stuff like this, when I was little once, my grandparents took me to an exhibit like this in Northern California. It was a house built to match the angle of the hill it was on. It had inside multiple floors, a seemingly vertical ladder you physically couldn't climb and a stream outside that ran uphill. Stuff like this that kind of messes with your mind or changes the way experience something are all so interesting. I kinda wanna spend like 20 minutes juts rolling around in this exhibit.
I have been in a room similiar to this at the COSI science museum in Toledo, Ohio. And it truly is a memorable experience. I went was I was a kid and I literally would spend hours in this room created to "play" with the laws of physics. For example in this room they had a ball on a shelf that looked like it rolled uphill and even a table you could pour water on and the water ran "up wards". I have always found the use of shapes and perspective to play with the audiences mind a great use of art. Some of the most fascinating art I have seen have forced my mind to reexamine the work over and over again and seeing something new every time. Escher's stairs, for example, is a piece of art that I have looked for hours and still see something new and fascinating every time I look again.
I love that this exhibit shows participants how it's done. I think there's some value in that. People were for years fascinated by roadside attractions such as these. They spent time wondering how such a feat could be accomplished, or if gravitational mystery spots were real points of existence. Now, some time later, there is intrigue in seeing how such a place was created.
Even never having been to one of these attractions myself, knowing the history makes my interested in seeing this one. There are many ways in which roadside attractions can still be profitable in today's market. Revealing the hoax behind something which once thirved is but one of them.
I would loooove to experience this. Its incredible that a piece of architecture can cause this kind of perception. Id be very curious to see how this effect could be used in both film and theatre. I know that inception built an entire hallway that rotated so it looked like the actors were walking on the walls and ceiling. This kind of technology should be utilized much more because I find it more impressive than CGIing everything. In the end, every person has a child still in them and every child wants to be a space cadet.
This is really awesome. I love exhibits and installations that can physically effect how you perceive the space you're in. Even if you know you are being deceived, such as in the case of the exhibit showcased in the article, you can't help but be swept away by the sensations you are experiencing. It reminds me of some of the disorienting works of art that are on display at the Mattress Factory. Even after the second or third time I looked at them and knew the trick, I was still able to be emerged in the sensations they were creating.
It is very interesting to see how simple geometric shapes are combined to create a totally architectural trickery. Just by looking at the picture, I would definitely feel out of "balance, proprioception, and general physical stability." However, it will be amazing experience to enter into that room. I really love how the artist named his room as Demon Hill #2. I think it is brilliant to combine architecture with physics in which controls human's sight. I also agree that those weird angles and skewed angles amplifies the effect of disorientation for the viewers. It is so cool how a room is a kind of magic trick. Also, I like the choice of material, wood. It helps the effect even more. I really want to go inside to see how this room will make me feel award and out of balance as Julian Hoeber intended to be.
Stuff like this is so cool. It takes reality and messes with your frame or reference, which disorients and bewilders you and I love that. Stuff that bends reality and messes with your mind is always so entertaining. It breaks reality. This reminds me of a semi-similar art exhibit in which someone had basically built a house upside-down. The house gave you such a feeling of vertigo it was great. I like what Kelly said about incorporating illusions like this into a set i feel that could be really interesting.
What I find interesting about Hoeber's Demon Hill #2 is that it's effectively his first major installation. Transitioning from 2d to 3d to, basically, an all encompassing 4d space is something that people don't always immediately grasp the difficulty of. This work is so cleanly executed and its goal is so high- all artists work to invoke some kind of response in their viewers, but this piece actually conjures a strong physical response that is not only in the emotional realm. Working through our Medea installations, it's becoming extremely clear that as an artist, you can create whatever you want but you can't expect the audience to feel the exact intended reaction. Everyone is going to have a different response. I like that with this piece, all of the audience members are going to be linked through at least the same physical sentiment, because the human body always reacts that way to this type of architectural environment.
Im still very confused at how this works or what exactly it does, but I absolutely love how simple architecture can make a large group of people sick. There's something about the idea of architecture being a "magic trick" that makes me very curious about this room. I've always liked to know how effects work and I think this could be really cool on stage. i also wonder what would happen if it moved.
These rooms are fun! They've got one of these over at the Children't museum, but a much smaller effect that doesn't make you sick. I always find it fascinating how much the human brain depends upon sight to tell us what is going on, going so far as to ignore signs our bodies are telling us if our eyes tell us something different. Considering this, you would figure we would have better night vision.
I think that this is something that I would need to experience to understand how it could make people feel sick. After going to the show's website and looking through all of the pictures I just think that it's interesting, that's all! It really is interesting how different things affect people psychologically.
I am really interested in the fact that this artist was able to combine art and science to create an installation piece such as this. In order to create something that will make someone feel off-kilter, you first have to understand the finer points of how gravity works, and how the human body will react to such conditions. I think it's great that this artist was able to show that art can be science, and science can be art.
When I was little I went to this science museum that had something much like this. It was brightly colored house and it was twisted and inclined. From the outside you could tell it was not level or had straight lines. Whenever I went into the house I couldn't spend more than five minutes without feeling like I was going to throw up. I think that an artist turning this into an art piece is an interesting idea, however the idea is not an original one, which I believe greatly devalues this art piece.
I love these rooms so much! there was one at 6 flags that i used to love going to and every time i would go i would have to go into this room. once my dad explained it to me and ever since then ive been fascinated with the illusions you can pul off with just pure architecture and building! i think this is an amazing design idea for sows in theater too. especially environmental theater.
I've been to a road side attraction just like the one they talk about in this article. It's a weird feeling to be in a tilled room, but I don't think it was all that amazing. I do think that this version of the effect has been made very nicely. The wood floor and walls as well as the odd shapes of the wall add to the crazy world of the box. I don't think I agree with the sentiment at the end of the article "the device behind the hoax, while never diminishing the effect." I think that the best magic tricks are the ones you have to wonder about and can't get a real answer too. When I went to this road side attraction I know what was happening, but I couldn't prove it and that's what made is so great.
I absolutely love this piece! Before I read the article, I just stared at the first picture for a few minutes, and couldn't understand how the woman was doing that Michael Jackson tilt. The incline is such a neat trick. I'm wondering though, if showing the trick ruined the spectacle of the installation. If he had kept the secret from viewers, they would never stop wondering and let their mind work to find an answer. I'm also wondering if the light colored wood played an effect on perspective. The wood grain makes it look like the piece goes on forever. I'm not sure I understand the title, though. I find the piece very peaceful, and not Demon-like. But I guess the name is for people who experience the dizziness and nausea from standing in the room. Never mind. I understand now.
My dad and I used to stop at the "Mystery Spot" in Michigan on the way up to grandma's house in the U.P. every summer. I remember a room like this and a sink that where the water didn't swirl one way or the other when it went down the drain. I have to disagree with the author of the article that this installation piece represents the "best kind of magic trick" where the trick is revealed. That is by definition the WORST kind of magic trick. For me there is nothing satisfying about having a mystery revealed. There is quite enough pedantry in the world. That being said, as an installation piece, I appreciate the aesthetic and artistic intent of this piece, if not the educational intent. The choice of unpainted plywood as a material evokes a sense of austerity, a kind of Norwegian visual economy, but also a feeling of slapdash carnivalism, like the unpainted backsides of the midway booths at the county fair. Carnies just don't have the patience for back-paint, it turns out.
I find this very cool !! The second picture gave me a better idea n how this works where the entry way is slightly tilted forward but the actual box seems to be at a normal orientation. But it still plays tricks on the eyes and i cant even imagine how i would feel if i were inside this contraption.
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